


Just The Three Of Us

by MistakenAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Cheating Harry, Cheating Harry Potter, F/M, Heavy Angst, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, M/M, Polyandry, Post-Divorce, Sexual Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:53:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 41
Words: 53,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29711922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistakenAngel/pseuds/MistakenAngel
Summary: The time line is set post second wizarding war.It has been seven years since Hermione Potter last stepped foot on the grounds of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry. She is now the new Transfiguration Professor, a job that came highly recommended by Professor McGonagoll just before she decided to retire. Hermione takes the job with great reluctance, because Severus Snape has been reinstated as Headmaster by the Ministry of Magic out of respect for his many years of heroic service to the wizarding world. She has always had a sweet spot in her heart for him, and she has no wish to reopen her old wounds of unrequited love towards her former potions professor. But when Lucius Malfoy steps in to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts, the young witch finds herself struggling with being pursued, not just by her school girl crush, but by Lucius Malfoy as well! How will she cope? Well, read and find out, folks. As always, your votes and comments are well appreciated.Mature Warning: Sexual themes, strong language, and romantic angst, so no kiddies, please. Other than that, enjoy!
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione

She smoothed down her robes as she apparated to the address that her former Head of House gave her in her last owl post. The house was a charming old Cracker style home with one of those wrap around porches, and it overlooked a beautiful lake in the middle of the woods in Scotland. Minerva McGonagoll was in her flower garden with a floppy hat on, and dressed in a casual pair of blue jeans, and a faded purple button down shirt, digging in the ground.

"Ah, Mrs. Potter, come, come," The older witch called out in a friendly way. "I hope you don't mind getting a little dirty. Gardening is one of the few things I still enjoy doing after retiring, you see."

The garden was surrounded by a white picket fence, and the arrangements between the herbals, vegetables, and flowers was highly organized into little small, precise groups. Hermione immediately loved the symmetry of it all.

Hermione opened the gate, and put her outer cloak on the porch. Immediately, one of McGonagoll's cats rolled up in it, and decided to snooze. Soon, they were both working on gardening the whole garden.

When they carried their items into the kitchen, McGonagoll said, "Go upstairs and get cleaned up, dear. I will take care of this quickly."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" She asked. "Oh, where is the bathroom?"

"Three doors down to your left," The older witch instructed. "Don't mind the cats, I have a fondness for strays."

Hermione grinned. "No problem. A white one apparently likes my cloak a little too much."

"The all white Persian?"  
"Yes."  
"That's Snowball."  
"Oh, okay."

Hermione stepped into a beautiful spacious Victorian bathroom, complete with an elegant claw foot tub. She took a nice, leisurely bath, and thought of Harry. After the Battle of Hogwarts, they were finally able to admit that they were in love with each other. They immediately married, but their lives quickly took them in two different directions after a year. She finished up her education abroad at university, and Harry became known as a hard nosed auror.

She poured herself into magical creature rights, fair treatment of house elves, etcetera. But it didn't fill the hole inside of her heart when she witnessed Severus Snape's death. Oh, she loved Harry, and he never raised his hand to her, or mistreated her in any way, but it hurt that they were growing apart. But it was the very brief affair with Ron Weasley that killed any last pretense they had that this was a happy, perfect marriage...

💞------

Two Weeks Ago....

It had happened on a Friday evening, and she had come home early from her shift at Flourish and Blotts. She had wanted to try for a date night, maybe catch a film in Piccadilly Circus, and later on pizza for dinner. But instead, she heard the sounds of pleasure coming from her bedroom.

The sounds were loud, raw, and passionate. The only thing wrong, besides the obvious crushing feeling of betrayal Hermione felt at that moment, was that the noises were of two men fucking in _her_ bedroom.

She pulled out her wand, and cast loudly, "Bombarda Maxima!" The bedroom door shattered on impact of the spell as she burst in, wand drawn.

Harry, her beloved husband, was completely naked, pounding into Ron Weasley's ass over and over again as he gripped the sheets, clearly loving what his friend/lover was doing to him. Ron noticed her first as Harry groaned, cumming into his best friend.

Ron shouted, "Bloody hell, Hermione! You could knock!"

Harry smirked, smoothing back his hair, and withdrew his cock out of his best friend, and auror partner at the Ministry. He stood, and put on his discarded blue jeans and zipped them up.

"Well, it's about damned time you figured out where I've been all those late shifts," Harry said, putting his trademark round glasses back on. "Come on, babe, let's talk, you and me, like we used to."

Ron got dressed, and murmured, "I...um, I haven't told mum and the family that I'm gay, Mione.' Not even Ginny knows. I'm really sorry, but I love Harry with all my heart."

She nodded, understanding. "I'm not entirely surprised, Ron. But you really should have told me first. I just..." She teared up. "I can't look at you right now. I don't care that you're gay, but..."

Ron sighed, and nodded his head. "Believe me, I tried to date other wizards, but Harry. Yeah, it's always been him. I never wanted to fall in love with Harry. But I did. Do you forgive me?"

Strangely enough, she did. "So why the jealousy during Yule Ball fourth year?"

Ron blushed, and admitted, "I...I really wished that Viktor had asked me out. He was so damn cute, and he turned out to be straight. And Lavender was my attempt to see if I were only bisexual. I mean, sure, we had sex a few times, and it was enjoyable, but with Harry, it felt so right the first time. So perfect. We're still friends, right?"

Hermione hugged Ron and let go of him. "Yes, Ron, we are. But I need to talk to my husband alone, alright?"

"Yeah, uh sure," Ron stammered, and got all the way dressed. Hermione followed him out to the living room where Harry was waiting for her.

Harry got up from the couch and kissed Ron goodbye in a brief heated kiss. "I love you, Ronnie," Harry said softly.

Ron said, "I love you too, baby."

Ron left out the front door, and when he was gone, Hermione stormed up to her husband and slapped him, hard across the face.

"How could you, Harry?!" She cried. "I loved you, nursed all of your wounds from cases, and dealt with the nightmares, the pills and alcohol use. You promised me your faithfulness, your loyalty the day we got married. Does that mean nothing to you now?!"

Harry sighed, and shook his head. "No, I meant the vows when I said them on our wedding day. But Mione,' haven't you noticed how much we are growing apart? We see each other on weekends, and that's it. I always loved you, Hermione, but when Ron came out to me, and he kissed me the first time in celebration after winning the Margrove case last month, I felt sparks, no, jolts through my body from the simple feel of his mouth on mine. We found ourselves making love back at his apartment that night, and everything just clicked for me in my heart. I...I love him, Hermione. I really, _really_ do."

Hermione began sobbing, and Harry tried to comfort her, but she couldn't let him touch her.

She asked for a few minutes to compose herself, and then said, "I want a divorce, Harry. Equal split of assets, no exceptions. Do this, and don't fight me about it, or I will tell everyone your little dark secret of being bisexual."

Harry paled visibly. "I...Okay. I was the one that fucked around, it's only fair. But I promise you, Hermione, you won't want for anything. Go ahead and drain my Gringotts account dry."

Hermione kissed him then, and he said, "Listen, we can still meet up for sex. Just because we won't be married any more doesn't mean I don't love you any less."

She kissed him lightly, and said, "I will have to think about that one. But if I decide to go for a tumble, you'll be the first to know."

Harry chuckled. "Okay. Lovers?"  
"Friends...for now."  
"I can deal with friends."

They tidied up the bedroom and cuddled in bed after talking over their changed love situation some more over their date night. She still felt betrayed, angry, and hurt that Harry would break his marriage vows, but because they had been friends for so long, she didn't want to hold a grudge for life against her soon to be ex husband. Thank the gods, they didn't have any kids, or she probably would have handled the divorce with less grace and fairness...

💞------

Present Day....

She didn't realize that she had been crying until she got up out of the tub, and drained the now cold water. Had it really only been two weeks since her marriage flushed down the drain like this water? Yes, yes, it did. The worst part was that she still loved Harry. She wished her ex husband the best, but she would never take him back, and he knew it.

She got ready, and dried herself off magically, and put on fresh makeup. She looked down at her plain gold and pear shaped diamond solitaire bridal set. She wondered if she could take the rings on and off. She knew that so long as the marriage was a true marriage that she would not be able to, that was how the enchantment worked. She took her fingers and slid the rings off one by one.

She began to sob again, and that was where Minerva McGonagall found her, crying in her bathroom. Wordlessly, the old witch hugged her tight, and asked, "Oh, honey what's the matter?"

For a while, Hermione was unable to speak, but then she said in a shaky voice, "I can take my bridal set off. My marriage...My marriage is over."

Her old Head of House nodded, and said gently, "Come downstairs, and we can take tea, and you tell me what you can. I once almost married myself at eighteen, but my career prevented that from happening, because he was a muggle, and I couldn't explain to him about the prejudices of our world."

Hermione suddenly felt silly for crying about the loss of her marriage. "Oh. I'm so sorry...Minerva. I kind of thought you and Dumbledore, well...you know."

Minerva chuckled. "No. We tried to date a few times, but I think he loved Gellert Grindlewald too much to allow that. But come, dinner should be ready soon, and we can talk then. What do you say?"

"Okay, lead the way."

They went downstairs, and during dinner was when McGonagall made her the offer to return to Hogwarts as the new Transfiguration Professor since she was up for retirement next year. They talked it over, and when Hermione apparated back to her parent's old house in muggle London, she thought of the growing strangeness of her life. But then again, ever since she met Harry Potter when she turned twelve, her life had never been normal by any stretch of the imagination...


	2. Initial Misgivings

Hermione

"I...I don't think I can do it, Professor," Hermione said. "I mean, if you were Headmistress that would be one thing, but with Snape as Headmaster I don't think I could stand his oh so loving personality."

McGonagall eyed her over her glass of tea, and grinned knowingly. "Oh, I have worked with Severus for years. He may be a sarcastic git, but he's a competent one. I can well understand your reticence, dear. But I assured him in the most glowing terms of the fitness of your resume concerning Transfiguration and Charms. He said that he would take you on, provided you agree, of course."

Hermione found it intriguing that Severus Snape of all wizards would think her capable of anything. From her experience as a student, he treated her as if nothing she ever did lived up to his lofty aspirations in the classroom. Whatever.

"But you could offer this position to anyone," Hermione pressed. "So, why me? I don't quite understand. Surely, there are others more qualified than me."

McGonagall chewed her pork chop for a bit, swallowed, and dabbed at her lips with her napkin.

"You're right, of course," She said. "But you are my first, best choice because I believe in your capabilities. I know that under your watch, you will make Gryffindor House proud, and I'll be damned if some Slytherin witch is going to sit her fanny in _my_ old office chair. No, Hermione. I want you to accept this position, who cares that the Ministry of Magic reinstated Professor Snape as Headmaster? You're no longer a student, and I have no doubt whatsoever that you will put him in his place if he steps out of line."

Hermione smiled then, and ate her dinner for a bit before answering. "Alright, I will do it. Gods know I need the work, despite my divorce proceedings. Do you have a copy of the contract?"

Minerva smiled. "Yes, but the real one is back at Hogwarts. The Headmaster or Headmistress has to sign it personally to acknowledge your acceptance of the job, or the contract is not legal and binding under wizarding law."

"I understand. So, I'm essentially signing it twice," Hermione surmised. "An acceptance of the rules on one hand, and then accepting the job itself in the Headmaster's office."

"That is correct. I will hand you the documents when you leave," McGonagall explained. They ate dinner in relative quiet with an occasional cat jumping into their laps to be petted.

As promised, the documents were thorough, and she signed it, and McGonagall signed it as well. Hermione later went home, and thought of seeing Severus Snape again. She did have this long standing crush on him, but it fizzled out somewhat when he killed Dumbledore that fateful night on the astronomy tower. She knew now that he did it on Dumbledore's orders, but at the time, she felt betrayed. She had defended him for years to her friends, but when he did the unthinkable, her trust in him truly became shaken.

Strangely enough, when he lay in the boathouse dying of Nagini's venom coursing through his body, that was the one and only time that she allowed herself to act on her crush. She knelt at his side and kissed him gently.

He looked at her with surprise, but then looked like he did an inner shrug of her shoulders, as if to say, 'fuck it, I'm dying any way.' He had deepened the kiss and her heart had beat so fast as their tongues met and explored one another for the first and last time. It had been a mind blowing kiss.

"I love you...Severus," She cried.  
"I know. I do too."

He breathed out a shaky breath, and she gave him what anti venom potions she could out of her beaded bag. But he seemed to breathe his last when she left him, and she had no time with all of the fighting going on to find out what became of him. But apparently, the anti-venom potions worked, otherwise, she was certain that she would be working under Professor McGonagall, instead of the insufferable git that she shared one brief moment of intimacy with.

She went to bed, and when she got up the next day, she disapparated to Hogsmeade. Filch grudgingly let her into the gates when she explained that she had an appointment with Headmaster Snape. The grounds were much the same as she remembered it from her own school days, which was remarkable, because the last time she had been here, almost the whole castle was in ruins around her. The only difference was that there were more Slytherin design touches to the school such as dragon statues, and more gothic lighting.

Filch left her to do whatever he needed to do and she walked the rest of the way to the Headmaster's office. A fiercesome dragon statue stood in place of the griffin that Dumbledore had in place for years. She heard footsteps behind her, and then saw him. Her heart began to beat erratically as he eyed her, seeming to look right through her, instead of at her; a trait she always found strange in him.

"Ah. Mrs. Potter, I presume?"

She nodded, suddenly feeling self conscious. "Yes. Minerva sent me here, about the position of Transfiguration teacher."

Snape nodded, and said to the statue, "Lily."

The dragon moved away from the spiral staircase, and he said, "Ladies first."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How chivalrous of you."

A hint of a grin touched his thin lips. He walked behind her into his own office, and he sat behind his desk, folding his hands.

"I admit that I would have offered you the position myself," Snape said. "But only because everyone else seemed a poor substitute after Minerva. She made a most compelling case in your favor, I must say."

She didn't know whether to be flattered or put on the spot by her former Head of House's high praise. "Um, thanks, I guess. But I don't want what happened between us the last time I was here to interfere with our duties to this school, and its students."

Snape grinned this time around. "Agreed. But you cannot fault me for being an opportunist as a Slytherin. You kissed me first, and I was dying, I figured it wouldn't matter. I was going into my death with a nice memory. But since I am alive, I think as long as our focus is on our jobs, we need not delve into a theoretical relationship. Are we agreed on that, Mrs. Potter?"

"Granger," She corrected. "Harry and I are getting a divorce."

"May I ask the reason, or reasons?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"I caught Harry in bed with Ron Weasley," She stated, her voice flat as if giving a report. "I don't think Harry would have ever told me he liked wizards too for years. In an ironic way, I'm glad that I found out. But it still hurts that he felt the need to just hide it from me. We were friends for years before we agreed to marry, I don't understand."

Snape sighed. "Not that I care but even in the wizarding world, same sex relationships are regarded with much disdain and ridicule."

Hermione blushed at that, but kept her silence. They shook hands after signing their names on the real contract, and he filed it away in his file cabinet. They ate at the teacher's table, and the first hint of discomfort she felt that year of taking the post of Transfiguration came when Snape got up, and announced that Lucius Malfoy would be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts classes. He sat at the other end of the table, and his piercing eyes gazed at her.

She glared at the richly dressed dandy of a wizard, and felt instantly uncomfortable. Sure, he was handsome, but he was just as hateful as his son Draco, and she had a distinct feeling that he was going to make her life a living hell. She just had no notion of whatever that hell was going to be at the time. But she needed to be prepared in any case, because knowing Malfoy and Snape it could be anything, anything at all...


	3. Shot Down

Lucius

The former right hand of Voldemort was growing restless dealing with being around The Chosen One's wife. Certainly, she was a mudblood, but ever since he had witnessed her magical prowess in the classroom a few times, his deep seated prejudices were being challenged in every possible way. Plus, was Bellatrix not enough to convince him that this constant inbreeding of the pureblood families invited such madness to thrive?

She was alone in McGonagall's classroom grading papers, and he cleared his throat. "What do you _want_ , Malfoy?" She asked, without looking up at him. She scratched with her quill on a piece of parchment.

"I was wondering if you would take the fresh air with me," He sneered at her. "I see no reason for us to be enemies with the war over."

Hermione sighed, putting her quill in its inkpot. "I doubt that I want your kind of friendship. As you are aware, I am married, and it would be inappropriate for you to pursue me, Mr. Malfoy."

He chuckled. "From how Severus tells it, you won't be Potter's for much longer. Did you not discover that he was a poof?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him coldly. "I was not aware that a mudblood's personal life held such weight to such an important wizard such as yourself. Color me impressed. I suppose if you had more to offer me but money I would have a modicum of interest in you. Now, do leave my classroom, Professor Malfoy, or is grading essays and tests beneath your dignity?"

He knew that she was doing this to rile him up. Well, he was not Draco. If she could get rid of him easily, she was sadly mistaken.

"Then I will leave you to your work, Professor," He said, bowing to her before leaving.

He went to grade his own papers, and only gave passing grades to a few deserving students.

He went to see Severus, and his cousin smirked when he said, "Two months into the job, and you work up the courage to ask her out. Tell me, what was her reaction?"

"She acted like an impudent child," He sulked, pouting. "She was most eloquent in shooting me down my offer of friendship, but she took offense to that. I cannot imagine why."

Severus laughed. "Oh gods, Lucius! Listen to yourself. Bellatrix tortured her in your home, and you did nothing to stop it."

"He would have killed me and my whole family otherwise!" Lucius shouted. "I don't even know why I care if she is friend zoning me."

Severus smiled, lacing his hands behind his head as he sat at his desk. "Because she is intelligent, beautiful, and powerful. I can even attest that she is a decent kisser."

An illogical feeling of jealousy washed over him suddenly. "You had her already didn't you?"

"To answer your question, no, I didn't sleep with my former student," Severus said genially. "But as I lay in the boathouse dying, she kissed me. I figured what the hell, I'm dying, what is one kiss going to do ?"

"And yet you want her?"  
"I never said that."  
"Bullshit. I know you, Severus," Lucius pointed out. "You hired her to pursue her. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Perhaps."  
"Well, let's make a bet--"

"No. No bets, if she chooses either of us, neither of us seeks retaliation for her free choice," Severus insisted.

Lucius grinned, thinking of another arrangement entirely. "And if she wants both of us? What then? I can just picture her needing more satisfication than Potter has ever given her. Her in between us as we make her come undone on some bed of satin. Come on, the idea has a lot of appeal, you have to admit."

Severus shrugged. "You wouldn't suggest anything of the sort were Narcissa alive. I remember putting this same idea to you once, and you were emphatic in your refusal."

"Call me reformed."  
"I'll believe that when pigs fly, or hell freezes over, Lucius."

Both wizards laughed at that. "Yeah, right," Lucius agreed. "Fine, no bets, but if she goes for it, you owe me fifty galleons."

They shook hands on it, and Lucius breezed through the rest of his day. He watched as Hermione chatted up Sinestra and the other ladies. She had this easy confidence that had always been there, but which seemed to blossom now that she was a teacher, and not a student any more. He fought against the urge to pursue her outright, but she was no Narcissa, his wealth and prestige meant nothing to her, and that appealed to him. How interesting that it would take a war to bring him into his own.

But Severus was a problem. She liked him, and if he was going to pursue her, he had to make her see that he was the best choice by far. After all, he was a Malfoy, and it was rare that a Malfoy did not get what he wanted in this world. He would not fail, he would have her in whatever capacity he could, tradition be damned...


	4. Acting?

Hermione

She was starting to learn the ins and outs of the Ministry of Magic as Harry proved yet again, to go back on his word to not give her a hard time. But she had a little surprise planned for her wayward husband. She couldn't trust that Malfoy would behave himself in public. But Severus? Oh yes, Harry's most hated teacher, oh, that would fuel his jealousy like nothing else.

"You really think that us pretending to be involved will help?" Severus asked, lifting an eyebrow.

She laughed, and nodded. "I would choose Malfoy, but the thought of him holding my hand makes my skin crawl. If he wasn't such a pompous asshole I could stomach it, but you I trust more, Severus."

Severus grinned at her. "Well, I suppose I can do it for a good cause. When is the hearing?"

"In twenty minutes."  
"Well, let's go then."

Severus set Malfoy in charge until they returned, which wasn't ideal, but as the former Governor of Hogwarts, he knew how to run the school for a day.

They apparated to the Ministry, but before they went inside, he said, "We have to make this convincing. Kiss me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"No one will believe our ruse if you walk beside me stiff and professional," He pointed out.

Hermione nodded, and stood on her toes to press her lips against his. Someone noticed them, and he said, "Forgive me."

"For what?"  
"This."

He cupped his hands around her face, and kissed her more fully. Hermione felt his tongue tickle her lower lip, and she gasped, granting him entrance. Before she knew what she was doing, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, and moaning as their mouths moved over each other. He tasted of mint, sandlewood, and his own unique scent that made her insides turn to jelly.

He let her go, and they were both breathing hard. They were staring at each other. "This is crazy," She said breathlessly. "I...We...we shouldn't have done that."

"Agreed. But it will be believable that we are together for this act to work," Snape said.

She didn't trust herself to say any more. But gods, could he kiss! Harry had been decent, even if he was a little sloppy in his technique. Viktor Krum, her first lover, had been a bit rough, but Severus had been both dominating and tender at the same time. If he could be that way with just a kiss, what would going all the way with him be like?

 _No! Stop it, you aren't going to do any such foolish thing! You're not going to pursue any wizard, or have you forgotten that you are still a married witch?? Oh, and he's your damn boss..._ The last thought sobered her. She silenced her carnal thoughts, and cleared her throat.

"Yes, I agree," She agreed. They walked to the courtroom holding hands, their fingers laced together.

But in the elevator on the way there, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her again, taking time to caress her cheek, and trailing his hands up and down her waist. She ran her fingers through his hair, which, when he wasn't working in the lab was soft as silk. She assumed that his hair was always flat and greasy.

"Severus..." She breathed. "We...It's all an act, right? This..."

He kissed along her neck, making sure to leave little hickeys along her throat. "Yes, of course, it's an act. If that is what you want. But I can't deny that I'm enjoying this immensely."

"You're my boss."

"Merlin, Hermione, it doesn't matter," Snape said, pulling away from her. "But of course, you know your own mind. Let's finish this day and we can table this discussion for another time."

The courtroom began to get excited when she strolled in on her boss's arm. Harry and Ron, predictably, were seething at their table.

"What the fuck, Mione'?" Harry whispered. "Are you freaking kidding me?? Snape?"

Hermione shrugged, putting her hand on Snape's leg. He stroked her upper thigh, and smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry Harry. I wasn't aware that it was your business to know who shared my bed these days. Suffice it to say, Severus is more of a man than you will ever be."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Uh huh. Yeah, right."

The lawyers filed in, as well as the Ministry officials that dealt with marriages. The talk centered on the dividing up of assets.

"Are you certain that you still wish to liquify the money Mrs. Potter?" A lawyer asked.

"Yes."  
"Mione,' that's _not_ fair! You stroll in with Snape and expect me to honor that?! I don't think so," Harry fumed.

Snape said calmly, "Hermione and I have only been together a week. Isn't that right, lioness?"

If the ground could have swallowed her whole, she would gladly fall into it to escape this embarrassment. "Why, yes it is, darling. But as you can see, we're very much in love."

Snape smirked, and played along, but as the topic of conversation went to other mundane things, she felt his hand slide up further along her inner thigh. She clamped her lips shut to try to stop what the feeling of his slightly calluses fingers stroking alongside the borders of her satin knickers was doing to her.

He eyed her, raising an eyebrow. "You like this, don't you? Me touching you underneath this desk?" He whispered in her ear.

"You...you shouldn't."  
"And yet you want me to continue." She could only nod her head, because she had to pay attention to the legal proceedings.

His fingers pushed aside her panties, and began to stroke her labia with expert circles, sliding further and further into her warm slit. He began rhymically thrusting two of his fingers into her entrance, which was growing progressively more and more wet. She leaned forward, subtly riding his fingers as she felt her body build up to an intense orgasm. Snape withdrew his fingers and circled her small bean of pleasure making her shake. She kept a straight face while he gave her sodden pussy one last stroke and she clamped her mouth shut as her body found its release.

"Bastard," She spat when he wiped his wet hand from finger fucking her underneath the desk on a handkerchief he had on his person. "You had no right to do that."

Snape smirked subtly. "Shut up, you loved it and you know it. I look forward to you paying me back some day. You're welcome by the way."

"I'm not stroking your cock."  
"You will."  
"In your dreams."  
"Yes, well, we will see."

Harry cornered them as he came out of the courtroom, and Snape stood in front of her protectively. "How dare you touch her?? Hermione is _my_ wife, Snape. You think you can fool everyone else, but not me."

Snape stepped up to Harry. "Oh? And what exactly did I do to her, Potter? I must say that your imagination has become more and more vivid as the years go on."

"You touched her in court."  
"Prove it."

"Baby, I hate to agree with Snape, but all he was doing was holding her hand," Ron quipped. "I saw them play footsie too, but if they're dating, they can flirt in public."

Harry then turned to Hermione and glared at her, as if daring her to lie to his face. In the past, she would have been totally loyal to them both, but that was then and this was now.

"It's true, Harry," She lied smoothly. "Severus was just holding my hand."

Harry sighed, relaxing. "Sorry, bad habit from work. You're right, it's not my business who fills your bed. But he's dangerous Mione.' "

Hermione kissed Snape chastely. "Oh, I think I can trust my Prince to keep me safe. It's you that bothers me, Harry. Well, have a nice life. I know I will."

Harry begrudgingly held out the Gringotts check. She snatched it from him. Harry said, "I'm sorry for all of this. I did love you."

Hermione pushed her hair out of her face. "I did too. But I'm not sorry we married. Are you?"

"No, I'm not." She handed him her bridal set, and Harry looked sad. But she wasn't fooled, she knew him better than that. She turned on her heel on Severus Snape's arm and did not look back. What was the point? Harry and Ron were her past. Hogwarts was her future. But the battle for her heart was only the beginning, she just didn't know it yet....


	5. The Game Is On

Severus

He knew that he went too far by fingering Hermione at the divorce hearing, but he wanted to do it to spite Potter. He wanted James Potter's spawn to know what it felt like to lose his woman to a Slytherin. Oh, she may have verbally protested that she didn't like being brought to orgasm in a public place, but her mind was all but begging him to seal the deal, so to speak. He wanted to see her reaction to him touching her, and as soon as their lips touched for the first time, he felt desire as he had never felt for any witch. Ever. She felt it too, only she had a very sheltered, vanilla sexual history, and from reading her mind, her other wizards only scratched the surface of that fire he knew that she had within her.

He went to his potions lab and plucked out two of his hairs, and put it in a smaller via, and then grabbed a batch of polyjuice potion. Lucius was teaching a class on grindylows, but he glanced at him as he lectured in his businesslike, Governor voice. Severus sat towards the back and simply observed the class. He was pleased to see that Lucius was a decent teacher, and pretty damned knowledgeable about his subject. But then again, a former deatheater like himself would have more real life experience with the darker aspects of Magic.

"How can I help you, Headmaster?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.

Severus slammed the potion and hair vial on to his desk. "The girl is an absolute firecracker. I want in on this scheme of yours. Even if we have to share her, I want her."

Lucius's gray eyes widened in mild surprise. He smiled. "My, my you are quite smitten with her. What changed? I need copious details. Please tell me you had filthy bathroom sex at the Ministry."

Severus growled. "I fingered her at the hearing, and I have never touched a more responsive pussy in my life."

Lucius laughed. "Not even your former lioness?"

Severus shook his head. "Too prudish. Potter must have been tiny enough so she didn't bitch about it too much."

"Yes, well, we're both not exactly built as other men, cousin," Lucius reminded him. "Exactly why do I need to look like you though?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because you want her too. But I intend to fuck her first."

Lucius rubbed his hands together, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes. "Oh, this is going to be good. May the best wizard win the door to her golden snatch first. Loser gets to break in the backdoor first."

Severus grinned, shaking the handsome blonde wizard's hand. "Fine by me, the ass is tighter."

"So what? We both share her."

"Good. It will be a polyamorous love triangle for the ages," Lucius teased.

 _Yes, sure. Do think that, my dear cousin. But I happen to know her more, and she will be mine, I guarantee it._ They planned how this was going to go, and at some point, they were going to broach the subject of having both of them share her. The plan was to initially seduce her one at a time, and see if she responded to it well. If she had a good response, they would proceed until its logical conclusion of having her as theirs. But Lucius forgot that Severus was more possessive than he could ever be, because he knew that the girl was his, she declared it on the night he nearly died at Voldemort's hands.

Of course, there was always the faint possibility that she would want neither of them as lovers. In that circumstance, he would prove his fitness to be hers by standing by her side as her closest confidant. He knew damned well that his 'big brother,' wanted only his immediate gratification. He may wax eloquent about love and loyalty, but it was all window dressing to have sex with her to fulfill his curiosity. But Severus saw the bigger picture, and Hermione deserved a wizard who wanted her for more than just to sate his carnal desires.

Severus watched from his throne in the Great Hall Hermione chatting away with Filius Flitwick about the possibility of combining their subjects to challenge the student's magical prowess more effectively.

"...But only OWL level and above, of course," Hermione concluded. "I could not expect a first year, or third year, for example, to be able to handle the extra homework this would give them."

Flitwick seemed delighted and debated with her about it, excited about her ideas.

"And what do you think, Severus?" She asked, turning to him.

He finished his wine, and set his golden goblet aside. "We can do test classes, of course, to test it out. But I think that you are testing for gifted students," He said, knowing full well that she was. He strangely enough didn't need to try to read her mind any more, it was just there to be read, despite her excellent use of occlumency.

Hermione smiled. "Why, yes, of course I am. If that's alright with you, Headmaster."

"Proceed then, I look forward to your progress reports, Professor Granger," He said, deliberately using her maiden name.

"Thank you, sir."

He nodded back in response, and and as he retired back to his office to handle inner administrative paperwork, he wondered if giving Lucius that polyjuice potion was the best idea. The last thing Hermione needed was the added stress of a persistent Malfoy intent on pursuit in a carnal fashion. He had to be on the look out for his cousin, because reformed deatheater or not, he was still a Slytherin, and they always strived to achieve their goals to whatever end necessary. He had to be on hand to protect Hermione for her own sake...


	6. A Veiled Interview

Lucius

The polyjuice, like all batches of the potion, properly brewed, tasted of a combination of bland bubblegum, urine, and snot. The black hairs dissolved in the puss-like potion, and he knew that if he was to seduce Hermione he was to do it while on patrol tonight.

He had wanted to pursue her openly, but after being rejected a few times, she left him with very little options. He dressed in a spare black frock coat of Severus's, and drank the potion while in his bathroom. He tried to ignore the taste as the potion took effect, changing the planes of his handsome face to the more severe lines of Severus, his blonde hair turning black, and his hands becoming more slender and callused. He fought the urge to puke up the foul potion over the sink right then and there, but he didn't. Instead, he just threw the rest of it in the garbage in the kitchen.

He cast a spell to disguise his voice, an extra measure that not many people took when using polyjuice potion. He stalked off, adopting Severus's stride, and general intimidating attitude towards everyone. Severus, as arranged, was working on his side projects in his lab while he went to dinner. Lucius made certain to sit beside her, not next to her, but near to her.

"May we speak later, Hermione?" He asked at one point during the dinner feast. "I feel we have been remiss in our talks."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, tossing her brown hair. "Um, sure, Severus. But I don't think we have much to discuss while on a patrol, after all."

What in the world went on that she suddenly wants to be so tight lipped? He was no legilimens like Severus, of course, but he did know enough to protect his mind from attacks, he had to know this to protect himself from Voldemort, after all. He endeavored to find out, and hopefully, see if he could seduce her away from his 'little brother.'

The dinner ended, and everyone went their separate ways. Lucius decided to patrol the main hallways closest to the Great Hall, and corner Hermione on her way outside to the courtyard area. He stealthily followed her out to the gardens near to Ravenclaw tower, and saw that she was admiring the flower arrangements by the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw herself. She took down her wavy hair from her tight bun, and shook it out so that it cascaded down to her shoulder blades. There was no moon outside, but there were always lanterns around Hogwarts to see by.

He cleared his throat to announce his presence. Hermione jumped, startled, and then relaxed when she saw that it was Severus. She put a hand on her heart, and said, "Oh! Severus, you startled me."

"It was not my intent."  
"Do you want to be left alone?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's okay. I just...I like to come here at night. It's strange even now to be able to do it without the threat of detention or loss of House points. But no, I love the gardens, I find them peaceful."

He grinned. "May I sit?"

She nodded, and made room for him to sit beside her. They didn't speak for a long time, mostly because it never occurred to him to learn about the witch as a person. He felt stupid that Severus knew her so well already, and he did not, because information was power.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Severus?" She asked, apropos to nothing.

"Oh, it was about Lucius Malfoy."  
She rose an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Do go on. I don't see why you're bringing him up, but I'm interested now."

Lucius shifted to face her. "I should tell you that he likes you a great deal, and..." _I want nothing more than to shag your brains out._ "You should perhaps give the man a chance. He is not the wizard you make him out to be. A lot of what he did in the war, he did to protect his family. He had no choice in the matter."

Hermione frowned. She sighed, "I find him a bit too arrogant for my taste, Severus. I mean, I thought Draco was bad, but he was a pale shadow of his father." She began to tear up then, and he knew it wasn't in Severus's nature to comfort anyone. "...What made it worse for me during school, was that I could have liked him if he didn't bully me or my friends."

This was news! He certainly was not aware of her liking his son. But of course, if Draco felt the same way, he would have punished his son for even entertaining such thoughts.

"And do you think he liked you back?" Lucius asked out of genuine curiosity.

Hermione wiped at her eyes. "I don't know. But it's ironic that for as much as Draco bullied Harry and Ron, he only ever called me names. He never hit me like Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls did."

Lucius winced at that. "Well, it's in the past at any rate." He looked down at his hand and could feel himself changing back into himself.

He turned his face away, but Hermione laughed. "It's about time the polyjuice potion wore off. Honestly, Malfoy, if you wanted to talk to me, you could have just asked."

Lucius scowled. "Really? Because every time I tried you shot me down."

Hermione sighed. "Can you blame me? You have been raised to hate witches and wizards like me. Did it ever occur to you that muggle raised children can be born with magical cores in order to compensate for all of the inner breeding of the twenty eight noble wizarding families? Muggle royal bloodlines suffered in exactly the same way as the pureblood families are. First cousins married first cousins, sisters married brothers, and it caused disease, deformities of the mind and body, and all because of this obsession with pure blood. Lucius, it is simple biology that close relatives cannot breed with close relatives."

"It's tradition," He grumbled. "For a thousand years my family has never mixed with anyone but from the pureblood families."

Hermione laid her small hand on his. "Exactly, tradition. Things change, because change is constant, Lucius. Now, if you could stop being such an entitled prick, we could be on friendly terms. I know you want that, and I'm willing to let the past die. Provided you treat me like a human being, and not like gum on the bottom of your shoe."

Lucius kissed her hand, making her blush slightly. "I am willing to do that. Can I just say that I am truly sorry?"

Hermione nodded. "Of course, Lucius. But do you know that I have a theory that will make it easier to stomach being in my presence?"

"Oh, do tell."

"It is simply that I believe that all muggleborn magical children had a wizard or witch in their family to pass on their magic down the family tree," Hermione answered, smiling knowingly. "I'm fairly certain it is true in my case since there are gypsies in my family tree. Sure, most of them were like Sibyl Trelawny and complete frauds, but I think some were genuine, and thus I was born a witch."

Lucius did feel better, and he yawned. "Well, I suppose I should finish up my patrol. But you could accompany me if you wish. I wouldn't mind the company."

Hermione stood, and took his hand in hers. He grinned, and they walked about the grounds of Hogwarts, occasionally docking House points, and assigning detentions before their shift was over. They stopped outside of what was once Professor McGonagall's private quarters, which were large, like all of the teacher's living spaces.

Lucius scratched the back of his head. "Listen, Hermione. I was really glad to have your company tonight."

Hermione stepped closer to him. She ran her hands along the cloth buttons of the black frock coat he was wearing. Their eyes met, and she said, "Can I get a kiss good night? I kind of feel like the whole night has been leading up to this."

"You hate me, remember?"  
"Prove I'm wrong. I still am curious to kiss a wizard like you, and--" He silenced her words with his lips. He initally was going to go slow with that, but gods, did her mouth feel so good! He pinned her up against the stone wall, and slipped his tongue in her mouth. Hermione moaned against his mouth, making him inadvertently grind against her hips, creating a delicious friction between their bodies.

"I...I'm sorry," Hermione said, pulling away. "I shouldn't have let you do that. You're married, after all."

"My wife is dead," He admitted.  
"Voldemort?"  
"Yes."  
"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We were never really close Narcissa and I," He said truthfully. "Oh sure, the sex was great, and we had Draco together, but we could never see eye to eye in the other areas of our marriage."

Hermione kissed him chastely. "All the same, you cared about your wife. I loved my husband once too, but after Harry became an auror, our lives drifted in completely different directions. I pursued my education, and remained the faithful wife, and Harry....well, he couldn't completely cope with his memories of the war, and buried himself in his work. When I caught him in our flat fucking Ron Weasley in our bed, that was the final straw."

Lucius then understood her emotional distance. But it wasn't fair that she was able to confide in Severus about her life and not him.

"I'm sorry, Hermione."  
"Don't be. I'm getting a divorce, and that's that," She said, unlocking the door to her quarters. "Thank you, Lucius."

"For what, may I ask?"  
"For showing me that you do actually have a heart," She explained.

She went inside her quarters and locked the door behind her. He left, his mind reeling from what just happened. Baby steps, he decided then and there. He would take baby steps with her in his game of seduction. There could be no rushing this, he knew now. He just hoped that he could wait until the right time to have her, before Severus, because if there was one thing that he was not, and that was a quitter. No, he would bide his time, and gain as much trust as possible before rocking her world, preferably in his bed alone. It was only a matter of time...


	7. Aftermath

Hermione

She could not believe the nerve of Snape and Malfoy! Was this their entire strategy her first year teaching? To see who would get her into bed first? Well, she would not tolerate it any more! She ruminated on this for a week before deciding to inform Draco Malfoy about this. After the war, they became friends after a fashion, and even if it was only on a civil basis, she could at least write to him to ask his advice.

_Draco,_

_I feel embarrassed to write and ask you for love advice. But it concerns your father, and Professor Snape. You know what I went through regarding Severus, but I never imagined that your dad would pursue me in any romantic capacity. As I am writing this, I want to punch them out for their audacity, but you know them best._

_I suppose what I am really asking for is some Slytherin advice on how to deal with them. Please help me out, any help you can give me is appreciated. Thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Potter_

She used a snowy owl that was a son of Hedwig's, and he looked just like his mother. She named him Polaris, and he was a very good owl who was no doubt, her very best friend. She fed him an owl treat and Polaris nuzzled her with his feathers and gave a questioning hoot.

"Oh, I'm alright, Pol. Just stupid guy problems," She said aloud. "Now, I want you to take this to Draco. Can you do that? And make sure he writes me back, do you hear?"

Polaris hooted happily. She attached her letter to his leg and kissed the top of his head before he stretched out his big white feathers and took off from the school owlry. She watched her owl leave, and trudged on back to the castle.

She confronted Snape just as he was organizing potions bottles in his lab a week later. She leaned in the doorway, and blocked his progress outside the classroom.

"Will you kindly let me pass?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, glaring at her.

She crossed her arms across her chest. "Not a chance. I want to know why you and Lucius are acting weird towards me lately."

Snape relaxed, and he set his things down on a long table. "Very well. Please sit."

"How polite of you."

He locked the door behind him, and sat behind his desk. "What do you want to know, Hermione?"

"First, you finger me in public, basically make out with me, in other words, and then Malfoy decides to masquerade as you, and acts all tender simply to make 'peace.' It makes no damn sense, considering that the few times we spoke in the past...well, I'm trying to think of a better word than loathing, but I can't, honestly."

Snape came around to her side and said, "I will have to arrange a meeting between the three of us, of course. But suffice to say, I was wondering if you wouldn't object to continuing what we were doing, and maybe bring Lucius into it as well."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. Two sexy wizards wanted her! Like _really_ , wanted her. She blushed, and couldn't quite meet his black eyes, which were eying her intently, studying her for her reaction.

"Let me guess, there was a bet."  
"It was his idea."

Hermione laughed. "Of course, it was. Draco wrote me back and said that his dad would try to one up you. It's the reason he was unable to be with any witch seriously."

Snape folded his arms across his chest, nodding. "You're not ready for this arrangement."

Hermione nodded. "Maybe until my divorce finalizes. But it would certainly be amusing to have Lucius accompany me next to only flirt with me. Draco offered, but he's in enough hot water with Astoria from his affairs. He wrote me to say 'don't fall for my dad's smooth bullshit.'"

Snape grinned. "He knows his father well. But I'm a little surprised that you two are on friendly terms."

Hermione giggled at his obvious jealousy. "Oh my gods, Severus, Draco is my _friend_. Okay, there was one drunken night where we shagged during a party after graduation, but we agreed to be strictly friends after that night, because we were both getting married and I didn't feel right cheating on Harry with his greatest rival."

She was surprised when she saw Snape chuckle. It made him quite charming, and less like the dour potions teacher who intimidated, and both thrilled her at the same time. _No! Don't you dare reveal to him that you had a crazy crush on him while in school._ She erased her emotions off of her face.

But he had already read what was in her mind before she could hide it. He stepped closer to her, and he caressed her face. He tilted her face to meet his eyes.

"Since fourth year," He remarked, smirking. "Intriguing. I confess to a liking for you sixth year myself. But I think in that damn boathouse is where I felt myself let you in behind my cold facade."

Hermione felt tears fill her eyes as he let her into his mind briefly. She lifted up on her toes and kissed him. He pulled her close to him, and kissed her more firmly.

"Severus..." She breathed.   
He smiled. "You liked that?"  
"I enjoyed it very much."

"Good. I will leave you to ponder our offer," Snape said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"I prefer you though."  
"I know. It's because you know you can trust me here," He pointed to his right temple, "And here," He pointed to his heart.

She blushed. He grinned, and didn't say any more. But then again, he didn't need to, what more needed to be said, honestly? It was not as if she could hide anything from him, in any case, being the master legilimens that he was. He swept from the room, and Hermione re read Draco's reply letter to her:

_Granger,_

_Sorry, I refuse to acknowledge any part of you being connected to Potter. You really should have taken up my offer to marry me instead, girl. But I digress. Yes, I suspected when you told me about you taking over for McGonagall, that this Slytherin manuvering to have you was in my dad and godfather's plan from the beginning._

_I'm going to give you some insight into this: we Slytherins can wait for years to achieve our goals, and this goes for love as well. Okay, with my dad it would come from a need to satisfy a curiosity to have you. But Snape? I would trust him more, were I in your shoes._

_My only real advice is this: don't fall for my father's smooth shit. I know the wealth and prestige means nothing to you, and that can be very attractive to a wealthy wizard like my father. Now, you're a big girl and can handle yourself, but if you want neither of them, Gryffindor modesty isn't going to do jack shit for you. In that case, just be firm and tell them you aren't interested. But I kind of know you, Granger. I may have been a jock in school, but I'm not an idiot, and you checked out my godfather every potions class._

_I bet Potter and Weaselby had no clue, but I guarantee that it was the worst kept secret in Slytherin House how much you wanted Snape. Whatever. So, stop blushing, I know you are. You know it's true. My point is that you know your own mind, Granger, and you need to stew in your own thoughts for a while. Just do me a favor and send me a wedding invite, k?_

_Sincerely,_

_Draco_

She blushed at the last line. Why on Earth would he write that she would ever remarry? She certainly had no plans to do so, she was not free from her divorce, and she was confused about why she was being pursued like this. But as she was cleaning up her classroom, she found Wizard Weekly under one of the back desks, and it discussed this concept of open love, and being able to love more than one person at the same time. Usually, she threw out such crap in her classroom, but she found herself engaged in the polyamory article, because it was so well written. Then she looked at what wizard wrote it...Lucius Malfoy.

Heat flooded her cheeks, and she burned the article right then and there. Well, she couldn't think about that, she had a hearing to get to, and it was time she took Lucius along with her. She knew Harry would have a fit about it, but she honestly didn't care any more. Curiosity made her want to go outside her comfort zone, and try something she had never done before, and she knew exactly how she wanted to proceed in making it happen. _Control? Oh no, you won't be the ones in control of this arrangement, but me, I guarantee it..._


	8. Killing Boredom

Hermione

Lucius looked up at her with shock plainly etched on his handsome face. "You really want me to go to the Ministry of Magic with you to flirt with you in front of your ex husband? Am I truly hearing this correctly?"

Hermione stifled a giggle. "Well, yes, of course. Severus explained what you two were up to, and I would like to try it. But slowly, this isn't the most conventional of lifestyles."

Lucius smiled. "Of course, it isn't. But it is fun, I can assure you."

He graded his last essay, and marked a T for troll on it in his elegant cursive handwriting. He stood, and approached her by kissing her hand.

Despite her best judgment, she rather liked having the attention of two wizards. She had been bored for the past four hearings that she had to go alone. Hopefully, this would be the last damn time she would have to see her ex husband in court accompanied by his boyfriend.

Lucius escorted her to the apparation point, and at first, she thought that he was going to be good, and simply hold her hand, but he held her in his arms, and before she knew what was happening, Lucius was kissing her as he disapparated them to the Ministry of Magic...

💘----

She shoved him off of her when they apparated at the place where visitors checked in.

Lucius chuckled, "Really, Hermione? You liked it, just admit it."

She socked him in the arm. "Merlin's beard, you promised me that you would behave yourself, Lucius! Not French kiss me for the whole world to see."

He laughed then, and caressed her cheek, making her shiver in response. "I did not promise to be a gentleman, I promised to behave like we are dating. It is not a lie, since we are. Severus too, I would expect. He told me how you delighted in his special attentions during the first court session he accompanied you to."

The line moved up gradually, and she felt very uncomfortable talking about such things in public with him. "And you want to do the same thing. The answer is no, but if you cease to act like a horn dog, I might, _might_ , touch you under the table."

Lucius turned his silvery gray eyes on her, and whispered in her ear, "You will have my compliance if you reciprocate later on after the meeting."

She didn't know what he was talking about. "I'm not having sex with you, Lucius. Neither of you. Not yet, alright?"

He kissed her temple. "Of course not, but oral sex would be nice," He whispered, his cultured voice taking on a husky tone. "Mmm, the thought of your mouth on my cock makes me anxious just imagining it."

The line moved up slightly, and they stepped forward slightly. She blushed scarlet, and again, wanted to disappear into the Earth again.

"I...Um, the thing is..."  
"You're joking right?"

"Only Draco...umm, wanted me to do...that. I liked it, but I barely remembered it because we were drunk at the time," She answered. "That wouldn't be weird to you?"

"No, my dear, it would not."  
"Oh. Okay, we didn't date at all."

"I know, it's fine. But just so you know, you belong to me and my little brother now, sweetheart. The only question remains which of us you will shag before it's all said and done," Lucius said, stepping away from her enough to merely lace his fingers through her right hand.

They were next in line, and they submitted their wands for identification. They were returned to them immediately, and were given their visitor badges...

💘-----

When they got into the crowded elevator and clicked on the button for the courthouse floor, Lucius gave her a suggestive look.

"What?"  
"I would really like to touch you."  
"Okay."

He moved behind her, and subtly lifted up the back of her skirt, and she gasped when she felt Lucius's hand slip past her panties and began stroking her pussy. She stifled a moan.

Lucius pressed a kiss alongside her neck. "Shhh," He whispered. "Not a sound, dear. We wouldn't want these people to think I was finger fucking you in the lift, now would we?"

She shook her head, and his fingers circled her clit, slowly, ponderously, as he took turns stroking her clit and thrusting his fingers into her swiftly sodden pussy. "Mmm...Lucius..." She breathed. "I...I think I'm close."

"Not yet, love. Do it only at my command, do you hear?" He said, his voice taking on a dominating quality she enjoyed very much. He continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her, stretching her opening deliciously for three fingers to slip inside.

The group of witches and wizards left them alone, and when they were alone, Lucius said, "Now."

She felt her body shudder and tremble as she kissed him deeply, taking the initiative to kiss him, rather than the other way around this time. Lucius continued to thrust his fingers inside of her slit as they kissed, their tongues battling for dominance.

He pulled away then, and teased, "Oh my, I have made quite the mess to clean up, didn't I?"

"You could just--"  
"No, this is better, trust me."  
"But what are you--"  
"Shh, let me. I love doing this for witches. May I taste your pussy?"

She nodded, and he knelt in front of her and she watched in amazement as Lucius Malfoy of all wizards was kneeling at her feet, and licking and kissing _her_ vagina in the most sinful ways possible! He swirled his tongue around her folds and sucked on her little bean of pleasure, making her cry out.

"Lucius...oh god's...that feels so fucking good, baby," She moaned, crying.

He sucked her clit over and over until she began to scream out her pleasure. She grabbed at his hair, driving his tongue deeper inside her. She bucked her hips as another orgasm swept over her. Lucius licked up her juices, and then cleaned them both up with a quick scourify charm.

Hermione used her wand to set her clothes to rights, and when she looked decent again, she glared at her lover.

"That was totally unnecessary."  
"Hush, you loved it."

"I didn't say that," She pointed out. "I'm just saying that we could have been caught, and--"

"And what? We would be escorted off the grounds," Lucius laughed. "Relax, Hermione. The Ministry won't send us off to Azkaban for fucking in a lift. Besides, there is a thrill that we could both be caught."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's get to this hearing then."

They left the elevator and entered the courtroom. Harry was fuming at the sight of her with Lucius, and Lucius smirked, making sure to grab her ass as they walked past the gay couple sitting on the other side of the room. She caught Harry looking and she grabbed Lucius's firm ass as well.

Lucius chuckled, "My, my, you do know how to make a wizard jealous. I never knew how fun you actually were. But don't worry, Severus and I will break you of your shyness soon enough."

She shrugged her shoulders, and said, "We'll see. But I want some level of control in this...arrangement. I'm not going to just go all submissive for you both."

Lucius nodded, understanding. "Of course, I hate complete submissive women.."

💘-----

The hearing began, and this time Kingsley Shacklebolt, once part of the Order of the Phoenix once upon a time, now the Minister of Magic presided. He glared at Harry and Ron, and then looked on Lucius Malfoy with clear disapproval stamped across his broad, brown face.

"I have read every report from the lawyers assigned to this case, and after reading them thoroughly, I can only but be fair and grant Mrs. Potter her divorce from you, Mr. Potter," Kingsley declared. "Hermione Jean Granger--Potter, you may now present your bridal rings for destruction so that no magical bond between you and your ex husband shall remain."

She got up on wooden legs, and approached the pulpit. A Ministry officer took her bridal set once they were off her finger, and Kingsley set the rings on fire.

"Mr. Harry Potter, it is your turn to present your ring for destruction," Kingsley said officially.

"No," Harry said, glaring at Hermione and Lucius. "No, I don't think I will give my _dear_ wife the freedom to lift her skirts for any wizard who takes a fancy to her."

Shacklebolt glared at Harry with stern disapproval. "Mr. Potter, you have no choice under law but to obey. I do not wish to give you an order to do so, but Miss. Granger has had her rings destroyed, and you will do the same. Or I will find you in contempt of court."

Harry got up, and presented his ring, and he watched it burn. He then did something that she never thought he would ever be capable of doing: he slapped her, hard across the face.

"This isn't over, slut," Harry snarled.

"Bailiff!" Kingsley shouted. "Take Mr. Potter into custody. He stands in contempt of court, and will go to Azkaban for it."

The bailiffs came at Harry, but she watched in abject shock as Harry shot some impressive protection spells around him. Lucius shielded her from the spells aimed their way, and deflected them back to Harry. But for all of Harry's skills, that wasn't enough to stop them from seizing him forcefully. One burly guard seized Harry's wand and snapped it in half. Then they dragged Harry away from the courthouse, shouting his eternal vengeance on Hermione for publicly humiliating him.

She buried her face in Lucius's chest, crying. He held her close, and kissed the top of her head.

The Minister of Magic came down from his pulpit, and said, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't expect that Harry of all wizards would get violent. Take care of her, Mr. Malfoy. I can see that you are acting as her guard today."

Lucius nodded his head. "I am, Minister. Just keep Potter away from Miss. Granger. I don't care if you keep him in that hellhole for life, so long as Hermione is kept safe."

"I understand. Carry on."

Hermione smiled at Kingsley, but it hurt, because Harry really hit her hard. Lucius was enraged by the events that transpired, and she knew why, but when he spoke of her in such a protective way, and shielded her from harm, that was when she knew that she was beginning to care for him. These feelings weren't the same as with Severus Snape, of course, but she knew that she cared about the man in any case.

Lucius disapparated them to Hogsmeade, and he rushed her to her quarters in Gryffindor tower.

"Lucius, calm down," She assured him. "I can walk, after all."

"I know, but I want you in bed," He said, transfiguring her clothes for a comfy gray pajama set. "Now, get in, and I will explain to Severus the situation."

She had no choice but to obey. Sure, she could put on a glamour to disguise her red face, but her face hurt, and she couldn't teach like this. Lucius tucked her into bed like a child, and was about to leave when she grabbed his hand.

"Thank you."  
"For what, pray tell?"  
"For letting me see the real you," She said softly. "You actually do care about me. I don't think I could ever give you my heart completely, though."

A tear ran down Lucius's face before he wiped it away. "You love him, don't you? Severus?"

Hermione's heart beat a mile a minute as she nodded her head yes. Lucius sighed, "I only ask for part of your heart, Hermione darling. Do you want me to tell him?"

"No, I want to."  
"Alright. And our arrangement?"  
Hermione grinned. "I'm willing to try if you are. Can I get a kiss good night?"

Lucius leaned over to press his lips to hers, and she kissed him back. All too soon, it was over, and Lucius looked a bit sad? Resigned? Yes, it had to be resigned.

He left her alone, and she cried into her pillows about being hit by Harry. Never once in all the time they were married, did he ever raise his hands to her. They had had some really nasty verbal fights too, but Harry always left the room to prevent that from happening.

Was it her fault? Did she push him too far by being so cozy with Draco's father? All she had wanted to do was make him see that she could have any wizard she wanted. She had no need for him and his stupid affairs. She cried until exhaustion forced her to sleep, but the next night, Severus visited her, and they talked, really talked in a way neither of them ever had before, and it brought them closer than they thought possible...


	9. Bedside Manners

Hermione

Severus came into her quarters late that night, and he brought with him healing draughts to heal up her face. In truth, Hermione felt fine physically, but she was still disturbed by Harry Potter's actions. She blamed herself, and truly wondered if this whole thing wasn't her fault. After all, she did love her husband once, and they had been best friends for years before deciding to move beyond friendship, and become romantically involved with one another. At the time, it seemed like a match made in Heaven. But of course, that was not to last as life took over, and made them grow apart, proving that most of the time, high school love did not pan out.

"Good evening," Severus greeted. She set aside her copy of Wuthering Heights. She was almost done with it, but she had read it twenty times already, so she practically had it memorized by heart.

"Good evening."  
"I hope you don't mind if I come in? I didn't want to intrude in case you were sleeping," He said awkwardly. She patted an empty space beside her on the bed.

He sat down, and looked her over. "Well, you look no worse for wear," He continued. He cracked a grin. "The way Lucius described it, he made it sound like you were at deaths door."

Hermione laughed. "He exaggerates. But really, my face is sore, but I feel fine. I'm not completely helpless, you know."

He produced two healing draught potions from one of his hidden pockets. "These will help with the swelling. I want you to take them, and we can talk if you are not too tired," He said.

Hermione unstoppered the lid of the vials, and drained first one, and then the other. The potion tasted like cherries. She handed him back the empty vials, and he pocketed them.

"Can we talk about that night?" Hermione asked. "Where you almost died."

A look of pain flashed across his face as he sighed in resignation. "What is there to say? You saved my life after your little friends left, and we had that moment. I'm alive now. Why should it matter?"

Hermione took his hand in hers, and he didn't pull it away. "Did you mean it? When I first confessed my feelings to you, and you said, 'I know,' in response?"

Severus lifted her hand to his lips, and he brushed his lips across the back of her hand. "Yes, I did. But understand me, it was because I was dying, and what was to stop me from telling me that my feelings were inappropriate?"

She looked stricken then, and she felt embarrassed to have even asked. He dropped her hand, and got up to begin to pace the room.

"Severus, we need to talk about it. I mean, I know what you and Lucius are doing, but do you know why I married Harry Potter?" Severus shook his head, raising an eyebrow. "I did it because I thought you were dead. I thought if we couldn't be together, then I could be with someone who at least had hair that reminded me of you slightly. Oh, I did love Harry, don't misunderstand me, but it's not the same as being _in_ love with someone."

Severus turned around, and she got out of bed. He held her by the fireplace, his arms wrapped around her from behind. He kissed the top of her head gently.

"Would you really choose me, Hermione?" Severus asked quietly. "I'm a selfish, possessive bastard most of the time, and people will think I'm robbing the cradle if we're seen together as a couple."

Hermione turned around, and wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her about the waist close to him. Their faces were inches apart. She ran her fingers through his black hair, marveling at its softness. "I don't care what people will say. I love you, Severus, and that is all that matters to me."

Severus traced her lips with his thumb, and whispered, "Say it again."

"I love you."  
He tilted her face to kiss her softly, slowly. Hermione melted into the kiss, and when he deepened the kiss, he stroked her back and cupped the sides of her breasts. He pulled away abruptly and caught his breath. He shook his head.

"I...I shouldn't," He stammered. "I love you too, Hermione. You know that, but I don't want to move fast with you."

Hermione hugged him, and made him look at her. "Is it moving fast if I want us to be together as well? I mean, you did already make out with me before. I did enjoy it a great deal."

Severus grinned, smoothing back her hair from her face. "I was being a selfish prick then, spiting Potter as I did. I didn't do that out of affection."

"And the kissing?"  
Severus smiled. "Oh, that was all for my own desires and curiosity to see if you would let me kiss you."

Hermione traced his thin lips with her left index finger. "And now? Is it all an act now?"

He kissed her softly. "No, this is real, dearest. But I think we aren't ready to progress further physically."

Hermione shrugged, and took his hand and led him back to bed. "Will you sleep by my side then? I confess to always wanting to sleep in your arms."

"As you wish. But later."  
"Right, talk."  
"Yes, of course. What do you want to know about me, Hermione?"

She thought long and hard about it, and decided to talk about his childhood. There was not much to say about her own, because her parents were her world until she was sent off to Hogwarts when she turned twelve*. (*A.N. Her age is canon here, guys. She was not eleven like Ron and Harry were first year).

Severus took off his boots, and then his socks. "I assume you saw the memories I gave Harry?"

"Yes," She said, and gestured for him to go on. "The memories only showed your part in loving Lily, and the bullying you went through."

Severus began unbuttoning his frock coat, his fingers working the cloth buttons with practiced dextrous ease.

"Yes, well, I didn't want to throw a pity party that night," He scoffed. "But it will be easier if I show you, rather than tell you. You would be me, but understand that nothing will harm you. Do you understand?"

"But it will feel real?"  
"Very."  
"Okay. I want to understand."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes."

"Very well. Look into my eyes, and don't look away, that is the only way this memory sharing works before the memories take over," He explained. He kissed her softly, and then asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes."  
"Legilimens..."


	10. A Sad Life

Hermione

_The room around me is dirty and dingy, but I can tell that it was once grand and fancy in the Victorian style. But any semblance of wealth surely was pissed away by the drunk a long time ago. I look down at my hands and see that they are thin, and I feel that I am a skinny, gaunt boy of eleven years old. The pajamas on my body hang on my thin frame, and my back aches from being whipped again by the drunk's leather belt. He has left my face alone for once, and that is a blessing. Unfortunately, he takes most of his life's problems out on mum, and a lot of my beatings come from trying to protect her from his fists, and being raped._

_I pad downstairs after using the restroom, and pissing while standing up. I shake out my member before tucking it back into my pajama pants, and then flush the toilet. I wash my hands and hear the radio playing The Supremes as mum is in the kitchen preparing a meager breakfast of eggs and bacon. She wears a faded house dress and is smoking a cigarette._

_I know she only smokes when she is on edge, and trying to hold it together to raise me as best as she can. "Mum, where is Igor?" I ask._

_She turns to face me, and blows out a plume of smoke. "He's passed out in bed. But you shouldn't have used the bat to defend me, Severus. He will remember that."_

_I glare at her. "What was I supposed to do? Just let him rape you yet again?"_

_"It wasn't rape, it was--"_

_"Seriously, mum? I'm eleven, not naive or stupid," I say with distaste. "I know the mechanics of sex or whatever and I know that it's not consensual what he does with you."_

_She puts out her cigarette in the ashtray, and fixes breakfast for both of us. "Severus, you're too young to know of these adult things."_

_"So, leave him, mum!"_   
_"I can't, son."_   
_"Why?!"_

_"Because I'm not supposed to be married to a muggle to begin with. You see..."_

💘-----

Severus

"You see, my mother was a pureblood of the Prince family, a family almost as old as the Malfoys. My Grandfather Matthias, wanted my mother to marry a pureblood wizard, of course. But she said that the boy was a spoiled brat, and they hated each other. She ran away from home as soon as she became of age for The Trace to hold no sway over her any more. She married my father Tobias, only I nicknamed him Igor, because he wasn't much to look at, and had the temperment of a monster. My mother had some measure of beauty in her youth, but it fell away once she began to be abused by him after I was born."

Hermione said, "Go on. You don't have to show me your school memories. I know Harry's dad and his friends were pricks. But can you tell me about why you decided to join the deatheaters."

"Let me show you..."

💘----

Hermione

_School is the worst! I lose the one girl who gave a damn about me, and I have to be away for months at a time while the drunk that is my father continues to beat and abuse her. At least Lucius and his friends like me, they seem cool. I haven't told Lucius that I'm basically dating Narcissa, and boning her whenever we can sneak away after classes. I wonder if McGonagall is aware of how many times I have bent Narcissa over to pound into her nice, tight pussy? It probably never even crosses her mind._

_Lily was my first, of course, and it was hardly memorable, because I was too big for her, apparently, and she kept complaining that I was hurting her. We tried a few more times after that, but apparently, I'm big, and it hurt her terribly. But when Cissa' and I had sex in the Quidditch locker room showers, she said I felt so damn good inside her. But Lucius found out soon after, and rather than condemning us when he caught us one summer out by the pool at Malfoy Manor, he literally tag teamed his own betrothed with me._

_Now, I am kneeling in front of Voldemort, who looks like that old vampire in the Nosferatu movie. He asks me if I am truly ready to serve him wholly and completely. I say the vows, and the burn from the Mosmorta curse taking hold in my flesh is almost too much to bear. But then I think back to all of the times Tobias Snape beat me to a bloody pulp, and I give this monster no hint of my inner emotions._

_The skull eating snake tattoo forms on my left forearm, and it burns like a white hot flame. But having taught myself occlumency from books in the Restricted Section in Hogwarts, I knew enough to master my inner emotions. The other deatheaters whisper around me, and that is how it begins, my toughness, and coldness in a fight. Of how I show no emotion, and seem to be the perfect soldier..._

💘----

Severus

"But of course, I have scars," He continued in a voice filled with regret. Hermione looked up at him, sad and genuinely moved by his story. "But the most dangerous scars are the ones in my mind. I will spare you the details of what I did while a deatheater, but just know that I was no different from them then. I took part in the Revels, killed muggles for the hell of it, and delighted in it, because I felt accepted by these people. Who else liked me for me? I reasoned. Not even Lily was forgiving of me just because I called her a mudblood once."

Hermione took his hand in hers, and traced the lines of his Dark Mark with her fingers.

"I would forgive you," She said seriously. He couldn't quite believe it, but the way she kissed his mangled arm, made him believe it. 

"I don't deserve forgiveness."

"But you do," She insisted. He looked at her, and was overwhelmed with love for her all of a sudden. "Severus, you're the bravest, most honorable wizard I have ever met. Most people would collapse under what you have endured in your life. All I want to do is love you as you deserve. If anyone deserves love, it is you."

He framed her face with his hands and kissed her, pouring his love for her into it. They were both crying openly now, and it did not matter. They held each other under the covers, and soon fell asleep. For once, in a very long time, he had no nightmares from the demons of his past, and that was when he realized that he truly loved this witch in his arms. He just didn't know if she deserved a selfish, scarred man who was petrified of losing her to a man less worthy than himself in the end...


	11. A Steamy Affair

Hermione

The next day she was able to teach again, but it was nice to have Severus sleep over for the night. She knew they did nothing but kiss, but the intimacy of truly sharing his memories with her like he did made her feel closer to him. She moved aside a lock of his black hair, and marveled at how handsome he looked in sleep, like a slumbering dark angel. All of his stresses and cares seemed to be wiped from his face and he looked boyish again.

She found her wand on the nightstand and cast the time, "Tempus," She muttered.

8AM. Well, it was soon time to get up. She put her wand on the nightstand, and regretted waking Severus up. She kissed his lips.

He stirred, and muttered, "Well, hello to you too, witch. Let's stay in. We switch classes and try to explain shrinking potions to idiotic children."

Hermione giggled. "Or, we could say the Headmaster has become indisposed because of accidentally eating a puking pastille when really we are doing...other things."

Severus chuckled, and shook his head. "As tempting as that sounds, we do actually have jobs, dear."

"Ah yes, but there are no classes tomorrow," She pointed out, giving him an Eskimo kiss. "We should go on a date or something."

Severus laced his hands behind his head as he reclined on her bed. "Oh? And what would you like to do? We would have to bring Lucius or he might think we're deserting him."

She beat him with her pillow. "Heck no, mister. He's just going to want to do something snobby like a wine tasting, or something."

Severus laughed. "And you're afraid of being drunk around us?"

"Yes. I don't trust two horny wizards," She confessed. "Or myself around them for that matter. I mean, geez, there is a reason I don't drink. I get...too free with my desires."

Severus sat and put up a pillow. "Oh, then we really have to discuss this arrangement to the full. It's settled then, I'm getting you plastered Saturday, I'm looking forward to seeing sexually free Hermione."

"You pig!"  
She hit him with her pillow. He grabbed his and hit her back. "Oh, a pig am I? You play a dangerous game challenging me to a duel, witch. Prepare to lose."

"It's no fun without a bet."  
Severus rose an eyebrow. "Oh? Do go on."

"Loser streaks through the Great Hall," She said, giggling. "Winner gets a lovely surprise in the shower."

A wicked gleam flashed in Severus's eyes as he read her mind. "My victory is all but assured. Prepare to lose."

Hermione stood on the bed. "Whatever. Get your ass up here, and we'll see won't we? Now, you can't use magic, we're doing this the muggle way."

"Agreed. Engarde."

He stood and they began smacking each other with pillows, and laughing like little kids. They jumped and circled each other, and Severus used his strength to tackle her to the bed after he caught her off balance. Her back hit the bed hard, and she giggled.

"Ow. Geez, this was easier as a kid," She laughed. "You used a damn grappling move."

Severus laughed, kissing her all over her face. "So what? You just said no magic, you said nothing about me using strength against you. Now, you have to strip and run your ass out in front of the students. And when you get back, you will be at my mercy, little girl."

Hermione blushed and stripped off her pajamas, but Severus slipped her knickers off as well. "Beautiful," He remarked. "I will definitely be watching."

"You're a prick."  
"Yes, I am. Now, go run."

She ran naked out in the Great Hall, and the students looked on with shock, but Lucius Malfoy giggled as she ran by. She ran back to Gryffindor tower, and Severus was doubled over in laughter. It was nice to see him being so free with his emotions with her.

He took off his outer robe and draped it around her. Gryffindor students stared at them shocked.

"What the bloody hell are you staring at?!" Severus snarled. "Thirty points from Gryffindor for staring at Professor Granger."

They quickly fled, and they both shared a laugh over that. "And what does the conquering hero get?"

Severus pulled her closer to him, and whispered, "Your delicious mouth on me as we shower. We will see how things progress from there."

"O-okay."

They went back into her quarters and as soon as the door shut and locked behind them, Severus took her hand in his and led her to the bathroom. He started the shower, and undressed. She stared at him, and saw the many scars on him that each told a story of his hard life on his lean, muscled frame. He removed the robe from her, and slowly ran his hands down her cheeks, to her full breasts, down her stomach, and ended at her hips.

She ran her hands down his chest, down his hard abs, and grabbed a hold of his long member. Severus hissed, and groaned, "Hermione..."

"You're beautiful," She breathed.  
"I'm no prize."  
"You are one to me, my love."  
He claimed her mouth, and there was no tenderness to his kiss then. It was rough as he pushed her into the steamy hot shower. The water cascaded down their bodies as they continued to kiss and explore one another. He cupped her ass and said hoarsely, "I want you."

"Then have me."  
"Are you sure?"  
She looked into his eyes, and saw that there was nothing but love for her there. She nodded. He lifted her, and entered her smoothly. She wrapped her legs around him, and gasped at his size. But he felt so good, so perfect inside her, as she always knew he would. She grabbed his shoulders and trusted him to not let her fall...

💘----

Severus

Severus began to move inside her, and he almost had to withdraw all the way to keep from finishing so quickly. He began to thrust gently, because he wanted to savor this feeling. This precious feeling of finally having Hermione become his at last. But gods, she felt so perfect, as if her body was made for his. Hermione made little noises that she wanted him to pick up the pace, and he did, pouring all of us pent up passion and love for her into her over and over.

"Severus! Yes...yesss...YES!!" She screamed as he felt her orgasm rip through. He couldn't last much longer and gave one last deep thrust, bottoming out inside her, and released his seed inside of her. He put her down and very reluctantly withdrew out of her. A trickle of semen flowed down her inner thigh. Hermione held him close, tears standing in her eyes.

They held each other under the shower, trembling from their intense lovemaking. Their eyes met, and suddenly, for the first time in his life, he ceased to think of that prudish bitch Lily Evans. She had never loved him. But this witch did, deeply, and he decided then in his heart of hearts that this was the only witch that meant a damn thing to him in this world. He loved her.

He was about to say the words, but Hermione shook her head. He nodded, understanding. What use were words? They knew they loved one another. They bathed each other, and it felt sensual, but there was nothing sexual about it, just deeply intimate.

When they were done getting ready, he teased, "I should let you bathe me every morning."

Hermione nodded. "Likewise. Thank you, for earlier. I mean that, Severus. I suppose we just needed to go ahead and shag to see how we both felt about it."

"And? What do you feel about it?"  
"I love you, and you know."

"I love you too. It was worth the wait, _you_ were worth the wait," He said seriously. "But you're stuck with me. I trust you know that."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I have been stuck with you ever since our first kiss." She dressed and cursed under her breath. "Shit, I have OWL tests to admister today. You are one hell of a distraction."

Severus gave her a lingering kiss. "Serving your Headmaster is a distraction? I'm so offended."

"Uh huh, riight."   
"We are meeting after classes just the three of us," Severus informed her. "In light of earlier, we have to discuss this dynamic."

"After dinner."  
"Agreed. Have fun testing the students."

"I always do, of course."  
He kissed her one last time, and they parted, her heels clicking down the stone corridor as she left. He flicked his wand and cleaned her room, and left her quarters.

He taught his potions classes, and whenever boredom threatened to overwhelm him, he just played that inner movie in his head of pinning Hermione up against the wall of her shower, and fucking her hard and rough the way they both liked it, apparently.

At dinner, Lucius caught him stealing glances over at Hermione, and asked, "So, um, you're in a chipper mood. What happened?"

He grinned, and winked towards Hermione. Lucius grinned. "You win the bet. I get the tight end, just like we agreed. Nice going, brother. When did it happen?"

"This morning."  
"Bed?"  
"Shower."  
"Nice! That's always fun."  
"Keep your voice down, idiot!"

Lucius smirked. "Like I need to, the entire school saw Hermione streak naked. She's got a nice tight little ass, I'm surprised. I'm looking forward to hitting that."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Of course. But we are meeting about this. You are attending."

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it, as always," Lucius replied.

They turned their attention to the dinner in front of them, and when it was done, Severus went to his office to change into more casual clothes. He wanted this meeting to be more low key since they weren't discussing Hogwarts business, after all. Lucius and Hermione arrived soon after, and she transfigured more comfortable chairs for them to sit in.

"I think we all know why we are here," Severus began, and then explained to Hermione what the whole plan was. She narrowed her eyes at them both, but then shook her head.

"Water under the bridge," She said. "Like you told me this morning, Severus, I'm stuck with you. I don't really care any more that you hired me just to seduce me. We're together as I always wanted. The only question that remains is if you're okay being a part of this, Lucius."

Lucius sighed. "As long as you are willing, Hermione, dear. But I should tell you that my tastes involve a bit of kink.."

💘-----

Lucius

He honestly did not think that she would go for it, but she shocked him by saying, "As long as I'm not outright abused, or gagged, or parts of me have clamps put on them I'm fine with trying it out."

His eyes widened at that. "Really? You would really be willing to have me and Severus Dom you? My late wife couldn't handle it, and she was more experienced than you, no offense."

Lucius felt a deep stab of jealousy as she looked at her lover with such naked love in her eyes. She winked at Lucius then, smiling. "I trust that you two would never harm me willingly. If you did, I know a good spell that can remove your man bits rather efficiently."

Severus laughed. "Oh, I know you can. Well, I certainly swear to not harm you, dear."

"Nor I," He agreed.

They moved on to other topics pertaining to their arrangement, and the first order of business was obliviating the school of the streaking incident. When the meeting was over, they agreed to have that wine tasting date in France, and see where this whole thing went.

Overall, the meeting went fairly well, but Lucius hated that his little brother had won their witch's heart, and he was the outsider. It wasn't fair! He had everything, the wealth, prestige, any witch would want him. But when he wrote to Draco for advice, Draco illuminated him as to how the little muggleborn witch was deep down, and he determined then that he would be the better lover by far in this arrangement, he guaranteed it, or walk away from this relationship as a grudging loss on his part. But he would give it his best, because he too loved her, and she would be his, always...


	12. Calling The Love Line

Lucius

He couldn't believe that he had to be reduced to asking his son for love advice. Astoria, Draco's wife, was gracious and polite as she welcomed him into their flat in London, but she was quite irritated with Draco as they sat at high tea. But of course, it would be impolite to inquire after their marriage.

Draco came into the flat, dressed in his healer robes from St. Mungos still since he just got back home. He didn't look surprised at all to see him in his home, but he smoothly played it off.

"Dad," Draco said politely, "This is a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the visit? I am bushed from work."

Astoria cleared her throat. "I have that charity function with Daphne. You know, the one about the cleft palate kids?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine. You and your sister have a good time."

She happily kissed his cheek, but Lucius could tell that she only did it, because he was in the same room as them.

When she left, Draco sipped his tea, and set the cup aside on the table. "I have her followed," His son explained, "And I know for a fact that she's seeing Zambini on the side. Little does she know that he tells me everything, save for the nitty gritty of the bedroom."

Lucius ate a crumpet, and chased it down with some tea before replying, "I'm sure you can imagine why I decided to visit you, Draco."

Draco grinned, buttering a crumpet, and spreading marmalade jam on it. "Hermione. Of course, I know all about it from her side of things. So, why come to me, dad? We only hooked up once at a party, but oh boy, was it memorable."

Lucius felt that telltale twinge of jealousy wash over him, but he quickly stifled it. "I hate to ask my own son for advice regarding her, but..."

"I knew it!" Draco slapped the table lightly. "I knew you had feelings for her. But I can tell you that she is probably going to choose Uncle Severus."

He sighed, "May I ask why? He is not nearly so wealthy as I am."

Draco laughed. "Dad, you could be a homeless vagrant on the streets and Hermione would favor him over you."

"Why?"  
"Um, because he is super smart, powerful, and unlike our family, is a self made wizard," Draco explained. "And I don't know, but he seems to be more her type physically. In school, my friends and I noticed in third year how she would check him out. I can't remember how many times she checked out his ass or something.

"But even before the hormones kicked in, she would have this dreamy, glazed over look on her face whenever he would lecture on and on about potions in class. It was like one of the worst kept secrets of Slytherin House. I found it hilarious how Potter and Weasley had no clue how hot she was for teacher."

Lucius grinned. "So, what can you tell me about her?"

Draco spilled the beans, describing Hermione as a very discerning, strong witch who was brave as hell. She also loved cultural things like theater and ballet. But ballet especially since she took lessons before her Hogwarts letter came.

"...I learned all of this stuff after we became friends, of course. I quite admire her a great deal, dad." Draco narrowed his eyes, and frowned. "So, if you hurt her in any way, I will personally kick your ass."

Lucius shook his son's hand. "Agreed. But why haven't you had this same talk with your godfather, son?"

Draco rolled his eyes as if to say 'duh.' "Because I trust him with my friend, dad. We're Malfoys. We see something, or someone, and we want it. Well, we're going to get it one way or another. But if Hermione has chosen him, she will stay with him. She is not Pansy, or even my wife. But why her, dad? She's beautiful, don't get me wrong, and she's a hellcat in the sheets, but she's not a pureblood. You taught me from birth that blood status is everything."

How could he explain? Even he didn't understand it himself. But there was some _purity_ about Hermione Granger that drew his jaded self to her like a moth to a flame. He didn't want to corrupt that purity, but he wanted to bask in it, and maybe, just maybe her purity would wash over him.

"I...I honestly don't know."  
"Yeah, I know."  
"Don't tell me you care for her too."

Draco chuckled. "Nah, we're friends. We had sex one night to satisfy that curiosity and attraction we always had for each other, but we both realized that we were better off as friends. But you have got it bad."

"I do not!"  
"Really? So, fuck her and satisfy your curiosity, dad. It's nothing to me. I just won't tolerate you mistreating her." Draco checked his watch. "I have to get to bed. I have an early rotation at 5AM. Thanks for stopping by, dad."

Lucius left, and stopped by a florist to pick up a dozen red roses. He was fairly certain that she wasn't into flowers, but he wanted to try to cheer her up all the same. He arrived back at Hogwarts, and found Hermione grading papers at McGonagall's old desk.

"How can I help you Lucius?"  
"I wanted to ask about your face."

Hermione touched her face, and looked up at him. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm not going to die any time soon, so I'm well in hand."

"I came to bring you something to cheer you up," He said, producing the roses. Her amber eyes lit up, and she set aside her quill in its ink pot.

"Oh, Lucius they're beautiful!"  
He put the wrapped bouquet on her desk, and she took out a rose and smelled one. "Thank you, so much. But you really didn't need to get me anything, honestly."

He took the rose in his hand, and came around the desk and traced her face with the soft petals. She looked up at him, and he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Okay, I really need to get back to work. I want to have my day free tomorrow," She said. "Severus and I are going on a wine tasting date, and I want you to come with, of course."

He looked at her with surprise. "You...yes...um, if you like."

She chuckled. "Yes, will do. I'm so glad that we can all be together to try out this arrangement."

Lucius felt an absurd amount of joy in that moment for some reason. It was if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He crushed Hermione to him and kissed her.

She kissed back, and he smiled down at her. "Thank you, for giving me a chance, darling. I don't know if I would have been able to handle your rejection of me."

Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. "Yes, I'm sure. But we'll see how this weekend goes, won't we? I, for one am looking forward to it. Aren't you?"

He kissed her forehead. "Absolutely. I will go finish up my work right away." He stepped back and kissed her hands. "Until Saturday then, darling."

He bowed and walked away, feeling like a randy sixth year who just accepted the date of a lifetime. But his own happiness didn't stop him from assigning detentions to a Ravenclaw girl being snogged by her Hufflepuff girlfriend. He breezed through his day, and slept that night with only minor nightmares of Azkaban, and wished that Hermione was there beside him in his bed comforting him as she should. But it would happen, all that was required was time and patience. It was only a matter of time...


	13. First Date

Hermione

To say that she was nervous to be openly going out in public with her two boyfriends was an understatement. Going out with one was enough, let alone having to bring both of her men along. Well, that was enough to be nervewracking for anyone. Especially, since not everyone was open to the whole love triangle polyamory dynamic.

She chose to go for a nice teal sundress, cute blingy dress sandals, and light makeup, and very little jewelry. When she was done picking out this outfit, she took a shower, and got ready, making sure that she put in a lovely bikini she found while shopping in the more pricy of London's shops.

  
She found the bikini to be more glitzy than she was used to wearing, but when she tried it on in the dressing room, she just had to wear it. Her teal sundress she brought was an older dress, but she liked it, and she was sure her guys would as well.

  
She had her trusty sunglasses to protect me against the sun, and she put on a thin jacket over my dress, because the hallways of Hogwarts were always cold, even in the warmer months. The students had already left on the train for summer holidays, and this would be the first time she was spending it as a teacher, not a student, ironically enough. She packed my other essentials in her trusted beaded bag, although she probably needed to buy a new purse soon.

She knocked on Severus's door, and he was already dressed just as casually as me in jeans and a tight black v-neck t-shirt. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes. Where is Lucius?"

Lucius cleared his throat, and he was dressed corporate casual, which didn't detract from his looks at all. I turned to face him, and he looked me over.

"You look beautiful, darling," He said. "Casual, but not quite. There is this lovely winery in France I have been really wanting to try out. Narcissa hated the cabin by the lake idea, though."

Hermione chuckled, "Well, I won't. I think it's a great idea. And no more talk of exes. Or I could bore you with details of me and Harry getting it on while we were horcrux hunting."

Lucius laughed, "Gods forbid. You're absolutely right, no more talk of exes. Do you concur, Severus?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever Hermione wants is fine. I didn't break the dating rule by mentioning exes, after all. Come, we have to sneak out before the other teachers get wise to our idea, and tag along."

"Well, you are the Headmaster, after all," Hermione pointed out.

Severus kissed the top of her head, grinning. "Quite right, lioness. Let's go."

They fled, deciding to leave in the morning before the other teachers got up for the day, and they held hands as they disapparated, Lucius leading the way, since he knew where the destination was. Hermione felt that familiar tug on her navel, and they arrived at a charming rustic winery, complete with cabins to rent for however long couples decided to lodge there.

The property was expansive and beautiful, surrounding a pristine blue lake with the Southern Alps in the far distance as a gorgeous backdrop. Still, the weather was warm, and perfect for swimming or tasting wine. The owners were an older muggle couple that didn't seem to care that Hermione had two boyfriends, because they had seen such a thing before. She felt instantly reassured by that.

A few other couples arrived for the tour of the winery itself, and they all dined on meats, cheeses, and fruits, as they sampled the local wine.

"I like the sweet red myself," Hermione confessed after her third glass. "Any chance we could bring back a few bottles?"

Lucius sipped his drier merlot. "Of course. It is their business, after all to sell as much wine as possible each season. Malfoy Manor has vineyards as well."

Hermione rolled her eyes, giggling. "Yes, yes, Mr. Moneybags. I know, you're like super rich. Whatever. You know, I'm not impressed by that, right?"

Lucius drained his glass. "I know, and I like that about you, Hermione. I can be myself around you, which is refreshing."

Severus had come around to her side, and had grabbed the grapes, and whispered in her ear, "Lie back. I want to feed you some of these."

She obeyed, and he lowered the grapes to her so she could eat. But then lifted it away too quickly, and kissed her instead. He tasted of wine and grapes, and she smiled as she looked at him.

Severus traced his thumb along her lips, and purred in her ear, "I can't wait for tonight."

"Oh? And what are you planning?" She asked, kissing him lightly.

He had a deceptively innocent look on his face. "Oh, nothing. But you will enjoy it, I'm sure.."

💘-----

Lucius

He watched Severus interact with Hermione and really felt jealous as hell. Oh, she liked him, he knew, but he felt like a third wheel in this arrangement. Seeing one of his oldest friends in love like this was unsettling. He had planned to be the primary in this, not him. It wasn't fair at all!

When Hermione had dozed off on the picnic blanket, he drew Severus off to the side, and said, "You're looking mighty cozy."

"Jealous?"  
"Of course, I am."  
"Fine, we will spend bits of time with her," Severus reasoned. "But honestly, you need not be jealous."

"And yet you love her."  
"Obviously."  
"So, what did you do?"  
"Do, Lucius? I don't understand."

He couldn't take it any more. "I'm saying that you drugged her with amortentia, and--"

Severus laughed. "Oh gods, Lucius, listen to yourself. No, I was simply real with her. My truest self, and we hit it off from there. There is nothing unnatural going on here between us."

Lucius sighed. "Is there? You're the prickliest person I have ever met. You're not exactly the most lovable wizard in the world, Severus. I'm the lovable one."

Severus rolled his eyes. "You have her as well. So, I fail to see why you are jealous of her preference."

He had no choice but to back down, and admit defeat...for now. But he would make her love him. He didn't know what he had to do, but he would get her to say the words by the time this date was over, he was certain of it. They went back to their witch and enjoyed the rest of their picnic in relative peace...

💘----

Hermione

Evening fell on the campsite, and she decided to try out her new bikini. The cabin was large, in an a frame style, and had two large bedrooms in a loft, a full kitchen, laundry facilities, and a huge living room. The house was set up as a couple's retreat, and was very tranquil by the lake with forests all around, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. She got a towel out of the master bathroom, and announced that she was going for a swim.

She had wanted to swim by herself, but when Lucius decided to go with her, she couldn't exactly refuse him, she was dating them both. Right? He wore simple gray swim trunks and he whistled when he saw her suit for the first time.

"Wow, Hermione," He said happily. "It's beautiful, but you make it so."

They swam and played in the water, and swam out to the dock that was tied just at the edge of the deep end of the lake. The stars were beginning to come out, and they laid down together and stargazed for a bit.

"You two really shouldn't act like I'm some prize to be won you know," Hermione said, apropos to nothing. "Aren't I not dating you both?"

Lucius sighed. "I had wanted to be the one, darling. You clearly favor Severus over me, and that hurts."

Hermione rolled over and laid her head on his broad shoulder. "I do favor Severus. But I like you too, Lucius. A lot. You're handsome, intelligent, and sophisticated, and you make me laugh."

"I wanted your heart though."  
"You have part of it."  
"I'm a possessive wizard."

She caressed his smooth cheek and kissed him. "I know. You both are. But I'm trying to make this work. Can you just try... _really_ try, to not compete over me?"

Lucius seemed to swallow his pride and say, "Of course, darling. I will certainly try. We should be heading back."

The moon rose, and she shook her head. "Not yet. There is something that I want to do first."

Lucius grinned. "And what is that?"

"Lie back, and I will show you."

Hermione took off her bikini, and Lucius's eyes drank her in. She shivered from the love she saw reflected back to her. She undressed him, and gave his cock a few strokes before it stood at attention. She lowered herself on to him, and began to ride him, rocking her hips as she took him deep inside of her. Both of them gasped at the sensation.

He cupped her breasts in his hands as he circled her nipples with his thumbs, and teased one nipple and then the other with his mouth. Hermione leaned back, revelling in the sensation as she rode him hard and fast. When they both reached their climaxes, they separated, and snuggled under the stars.

"That was nothing short of magical," Lucius said softly. "Thank you."

Hermione kissed him. "You're welcome. It felt great too. I always wanted to try something like that. But we really should be getting back."

Lucius kissed her. "I know. I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier at the picnic. I just...I care about you, and I had wanted your heart. Malfoys do not like to lose at anything in life."

She understood, but she knew that her heart belonged to Severus. She knew it when they laid together, and she knew it the first time she kissed him as he lay dying. With Lucius she felt desire and heat, but there was nothing beyond that. No, she could never marry him, if he were to ask her. But Severus, oh yes, she knew now that she would be over the moon with joy if he proposed to her.

"I know, I care for you too," She confessed. "Just...can you be happy with that, Lucius?"

Lucius hugged her after they got dressed. "I will have to be, I suppose," He replied.

They went back to the cabin, where Severus had been cooking stir fry for all of them. He made sure to sit close to her, making sure to make Lucius as uncomfortable as possible. The conversation at dinner was light and casual, but as they cleaned up, Severus made sure to whisper sensual things in her ear as his hands wrapped around her waist.

"I love this on you," He purred. He ran a finger just underneath her strap and his other hand slipped underneath her bottoms and stroked her pussy in slow, sensual strokes.

Tingles ran down her body from every place Severus touched. He licked along her neck making her shudder as he slipped a finger inside of her. She was so wet for him already as he moved his finger rhytmically in and out of her entrance.

"Severus..."  
"Shh.. let's go upstairs."  
"Okay."

They went upstairs, and he locked the door behind him, and warded it against intrusion or noise. A tense, romantic tension fell between them as he slowly undressed her. She undressed him as well, kissing every bare inch of his skin, ending up with teasing his cock with her mouth.

Severus pulled her off of him before he could cum, and had her go on all fours. He took her hard, fast, and rough. She then rode him, and felt that inner spark one is supposed to feel for their lover. Severus cradled her in his arms as he filled her with his release.

"I love you," She confessed.   
"I know."  
She rolled over to look at him. "You do?"

"Because I know _you_ , Hermione," Severus answered seriously, laying on his side so that they could talk face to face. "And now, you know me. I don't think you need more time to decide, do you, who you want more?"

She shook her head, and tears filled her eyes. "If you asked me to be your wife, I wouldn't refuse."

His eyes widened in astonishment. "Oh Hermione, really?"

"Yes."  
Severus smiled warmly. "I'm far from worthy of such an honor. I have nothing compared to Lucius Malfoy."

She cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed his forehead. "You are worth everything to me, Severus. I love you. My heart, my body, my...everything really, belongs to you, and it always has. I think I needed this arrangement to make me see that."

Severus claimed her mouth and there were tears in both of their eyes as they kissed passionately.   
"I feel the same way," He admitted, his voice hoarse with emotion. "But do you love him at all?"

Hermione laid back against the pillows, pulling the covers back up to her breasts. "I care about Lucius, and he has a good heart underneath it all. But I think I have been in love with you for years. But I had to wait until it was appropriate for us to be together. The wait was worth it.."

💘---

Severus

He couldn't help but read her mind then. He saw her devotion to him, her loyalty, even from when she was a student herself. How she defended him against her friend's unfounded accusations. She almost stopped loving him when he killed Dumbledore, but when she found out the truth, she wanted so much to return to Hogwarts when it was her final year. But she stayed out of loyalty to her friends.

He withdrew from her mind and said, "I'm sorry to have read your mind. What are you going to tell Lucius?"

"I don't know."  
"I suppose we will have to do it together," He decided. "But let's go on a few more dates, and let him down gently what do you say?"

Hermione curled up in his arms. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

They fell asleep in each other's arms then, and that was the end of their very first date. But it wasn't to be the last.

A year passed before the talk came, and even then, Severus worried about how Lucius would take Hermione's decision to be with him exclusively. He just prayed that he would accept it like a man, and respect her decision. But with Malfoy, one could never tell so he had to be prepared for anything, anything at all...


	14. Bad News

Hermione

OWL testing had been a stressful time for her, which was a strange ironic comfort, because it had been hell as a student herself. Had it really been over eight years since she was a student herself? It seemed to be that that was the case. The irony was that from the teacher's point of view meant more hours grading papers, and meetings to endure, namely the many additions to the already big work load the students normally received on a regular basis.

She was glad for the tour of the South of France with Severus and Lucius, because they all knew that once they got back to Hogwarts, their work load would make it so that they barely saw each other, save for meetings and dinner. She kept Minerva McGonagall informed about the news about the goings on of Hogwarts.

... _I do not envy you the work load of OWL testing. It is one of the few things I never missed about teaching. Just take some time to relax in between testing days, that is my best advice to you, Hermione. Just be sure that you do not become distracted by a love life, your students need you to be at the top of your game..._

One of her letters to her read. Another one was this: .... _I do hope that Snape and Malfoy are behaving themselves. When I had them as students, they raised all sorts of mischief. I hope they do not try anything with you. But I know you told me that you had to keep them in line a few times..._

Hermione thought back over the leisure and fun of the summer holidays. They had had been quite free with each other, and certainly, her old Head of House would think it highly inappropriate to be dating them both at the same time. But that was what it turned out to be, her dating two wizards who, try as they might, competed for my heart. She found it to be annoying, even though Draco had explained in letters that it was a Slytherin trait, and she should be flattered.

... _Would you have tried to compete for me if things had been different between us?..._

... _Yes, of course I would. But Hermione, listen, I get it. I'm not sure if we had dated after that party, we would have lasted, and I'm fine with that, girl, being your friend. At least this way, we will always be in each other's hearts in some small way. Just don't let them take advantage of you, that can be a Slytherin trait too..._

This last letter from Draco was dated two weeks ago, and gave Polaris an extra portion of owl treats to compensate for all the flying that he had to do lately. She played with him in the courtyard after a particular hard day of classes. Lucius was leaning on a column and watched her put Polarus through his paces.

"Your owl is lovely," He commented. "He looks like Potter's owl did."

Hermione nodded. "Polarus is Hedwig's son. I wanted something of Hedwig to live on after she died, and he just happens to look just like her. Do you want to hold him?"

Lucius nodded, and lifted up his arm. "Go to Lucius, Pol."

The snowy owl flew on to Lucius's outstretched arm, and Lucius pet her owl's soft feathers with practiced ease of handling birds of prey. Pol then flew back to her, and nuzzled her affectionately.

Lucius frowned, and said, "I have some bad news."

She kissed the top of her owl's head, and he took off for the owlry. By Lucius's face she could tell that it was something bad. "Can I ask what this news is?" She asked.

Lucius put his hands in the pockets of his robes. "Harry Potter has escaped Azkaban." He produced the front page of the Daily Prophet where it seemed to be the story of the century.

"Jesus," Hermione murmured. "It says that he...he killed twenty guards to escape. Twenty, Lucius! The Harry I knew would never be capable of this shit. Why would he do this? You spent time in Azkaban, so why?"

Lucius led her to a bench to sit down. He seemed to study his fingers which bore tattoos from Azkaban almost towards the knuckles of both hands. "Because, my darling, Azkaban is a veritable hellhole. It isn't just the dementors that haunt your dreams, but your fellow inmates, many of whom are slowly going insane from the poor conditions there. I only kept my sanity, because I had my family to stay whole for. You wouldn't believe how many times you had to kill a fellow inmate in order to survive. I would imagine that prison life hardened Potter enough to make him easily capable of such acts."

Hermione had no more tears for Harry, honestly. She just felt sorry for him. "I'm so sorry that you had to endure that place," She said truthfully. "As much as I disliked you and Draco in school, no one deserves to rot in that place. It's like the wizarding version of the Bastille."

Lucius winced at that. "Except the muggles didn't have soul sucking creatures to steal whatever humanity they had left. I don't think they could handle being in our prisons."

"Do you think Harry will come after me?" Hermione asked plainly. "He was enraged when we divorced. I wonder if he holds a grudge against me, or us, for this."

Lucius hugged her, and held her close. He kissed her lightly. "I don't want you to worry about that, Hermione. Let me and Severus handle it."

She pulled away from him. "I'm _not_ a helpless damsel in distress." She held up her right forearm, the one that still had Mudblood scarred into her flesh with Bellatrix's knife. "You see this? I endured your damned sister in law doing this to me while the rest of you stood by and did nothing. I _survived_ her, so you can't tell me that I'm some weak, helpless witch."

Lucius said nothing for a long time, but then he sighed in resignation. "I know you're not," He finally said. "But it's my job to protect you, Hermione."

"But why, Lucius? Sure, we're lovers, but you don't have to do this," Hermione pressed.

"It's because I love you."

He left her then, and Hermione had to sit down to digest this new information. Neville Longbottom, now in Pomona Sprout's position as the teacher for Herbology, found her crying.

"Are you okay, Mione'?" He asked.

She looked up and saw Neville. He had a steady, good marriage with Luna Lovegood, and had always suspected that something was going on between them in their school days. She shook her head, and simply showed him the Daily Prophet article.

"H-Harry did this? Why?"

She told him what she could, not about her polyamorous arrangement with both Snape and Malfoy, but just about dating Snape.

Neville listened without interrupting once, and then said, "Snape has always scared me as a kid. I can't believe he doesn't scare you."

Hermione chuckled. "Severus is not so bad. He's been through a lot of shit that made him the way he is. But Harry and I...we used to be so close, and I thought when we got married that a lot of his demons would go away. But we quickly drifted apart with our own lives, and I think what prevented me from loving Harry completely was Severus. I have always loved him, but we both had to wait for each other."

Neville grinned. "Luna's always known you loved Professor Snape, although I don't see the appeal. He's still intimidating to me, even though he's my boss now."

"He's a good boss, though."  
"Hard on the students though."  
"Yeah, but so am I."

He patted my hand, and said, "Listen, Mione', I'm happy for you two. I really am. And I'm sure that this whole Harry Potter thing will blow over, you'll see."

Hermione hugged him. "Thanks, Neville. You're a good friend. Will you tell Luna I said hello, and that she needs to come out of Trelawny's tower one of these days?"

Neville laughed. "She just likes it up there. But yes, I will certainly tell her. I keep telling her that Professor Malfoy won't bite, but she said he's freaky, and is a bit freaked out that he's working here."

Hermione giggled. "Tell her that if Lucius falls out of line, I will personally hex him for her sake."

"Sure thing."

Hermione threw the Daily Prophet article in the nearest trash, and went to dinner. Severus was grim, more than usual, and it had to do with the news of Harry Potter on the loose. She knew that he was concerned about the safety of the entire school, not just her. But whenever his black eyes fell on her, they softened, and he nodded her way.

When dinner was done, he sent her a note that simply told her to meet with him in his quarters.

She did and he said, "I have increased the security wards around the school. If Potter wants in, he is going to have a difficult time of it."

"I just can't believe that Harry is doing this!" Hermione snapped. "He killed twenty guards in order to escape. Gods, Severus! He wants to kill me."

He knelt at her feet, and said gently, but firmly, "Hermione, look at me."

She did. "I won't let your ex get his hands on you, do you hear me? You are mine now, as I am yours. If he does somehow get into the castle, I want you to protect the students. Do you hear me?"

Hermione felt relief at his words. She cared for Lucius, but she wasn't some vapid damsel in distress. "Yes, of course I will," She answered. "But I will worry about you. I almost saw you die once. I don't think I could see it again."

Severus kissed her hands. "Nor would I want you to endure that. I plan on staying with you for a long time."

Hermione jumped into his arms, kissing him. He kissed her back, and said, "Do you want to stay the night?"

"Please tell me it's not Dumbledore's bed," She said half seriously. "I don't think I could stomach that, considering how we get sometimes."

Severus shook his head. "Gods forbid. No, I threw out that old lumpy mattress a long time ago. Come and see."

He led her up the stairs, and in through another door. Inside was a dark and foreboding bedroom that was beautful, opulent, and fit with her lover's intense personality.

  
The bedroom was like walking into a king's bedroom, and it was easily the most beautiful room she had ever seen, quite honestly. With a wave of his hand, the candles sprung to life, bathing the room in a lovely, romantic light. Roses were spread across the bed in a heart shaped pattern.

"This is beautiful," She said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "But you spoil me so, Severus."

He sat down on one of the chairs in the room and removed his shoes and socks. "Do I? No, it is you who spoils me. I wanted to try something with you tonight that involved Lucius, if you're ready."

Her heart began to beat fast. "Oh? And what are we going to be doing?"

Severus winked at her mischievously. "You'll see. Come out, Lucius, I told her about this already."

Lucius was shirtless, and he had one of his silk ties in his hands. He produced a black sleep mask. "Now, in order for this to work, you're going to have to be blindfolded. But you will love it, we promise," Lucius promised, a wicked gleam forming in his gray eyes. "All you have to do is trust us. Can you do that, Hermione darling?"

She looked from one lover to the other, and she knew that she could trust them completely. She lifted her hair out of the way of her face. Lucius put the sleep mask on her face, and helped her to lay down on the bed where she waited what her two lovers had planned next...


	15. Love Is Blind

Hermione

The bed was soft underneath her body as she was laid down on the bed. One of her lovers tied her wrists to the bedposts, and because she couldn't see, it somehow made this more erotic, the mystery behind this. No wonder Lucius asked if she could trust them! One by one, her robes were removed, and she had no idea who did the undressing, but her entire body hummed with excitement as she heard the sounds of them undressing.

One of them began to pepper her legs with kisses, while the other kissed her deeply, playfully nibbling on her lower lip as she did so. Her other lover parted her legs with his knee, and began to lick along her labia, making concentric circles with his skilled tongue as he also circled her clit with his thumb.

"Mmmm..." She moaned. Her other lover proceeded to suckle her breasts, swirling his tongue around one nipple, grazing it with his teeth.

Severus...of course, it was. Lucius was more the gentleman in the bedroom. He licked along the whole of her breast, blowing little puffs of air as he did so, so that her nipple remained pert and hard. He did the same treatment to her other breast while Lucius ate her out thoroughly between her legs.

She wanted to touch them, but the bonds they used were too secure. Severus kissed her and purred in her mind, " _Say the word and I will free you."_

" _W-why? What is the word?"_  
 _"Say yes to me. Aloud."_

Hermione licked her lips, and said, "Yes."

Severus took off her sleep mask, and he was smiling down at her. " _Do you really accept me? Only me?"_ He asked her mentally.

"Yess!" She shouted, hitting her orgasm. They then took turns with her, which was an interesting experience, because she had only had them one at a time. But when they decided to tag team her, the feeling was unusual, but not altogether unpleasant. When they all reached their peaks, they collapsed in each other's arms.

"That was...an experience," Hermione wearily. "But it seems to me you two have done that before."

Both wizards laughed. "Call it more the exploits of a misspent youth," Lucius replied, kissing her inner wrist. "But yes, we have. Sometimes, the memories were not so pleasant in that regard."

Severus flashed his cousin a look of warning. Hermione curled more into Severus's arms. "She has to be told at some point that we were forced to take part in the revels."

"Do I even want to ask what that is?" Hermione asked. "It sounds bad."

Lucius sighed, "I'm more comfortable talking about it, so it's best if I show you. Do you have a pensieve Severus?"

Severus got out of bed, and she let Lucius snuggle her from behind. She liked watching him move with the same grace naked as with his clothes on. He went into the office, and came back with a round shallow dish. Lucius found his wand, and the pensieve was placed in the center of the bed. Lucius retrieved a particularly long strand of memories from his temple, and placed it in the swirling strands of memory filaments, some of which showed glimpses of Severus being beaten up by his father, James Potter and his friends, Lily Evans, and then of her, which were more pleasant.

Lucius looked at me. "Are you sure that you want to see this?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment, and then decided that she wanted to know everything. "Please show me. I think I deserve to know everything," She said finally.

Lucius looked resigned to a terrible fate. "Just...Please don't think too badly of me when you see it. Can you do that? Serving under Voldemort was more horrible than you could ever know."

She tucked a piece of Lucius's hair behind his ear. "I will keep an open mind, I promise. I can see that you had no choice."

"Yes, but, I did enjoy it."  
"Why?"  
"Because I am a fool, Hermione," Lucius answered sadly, "Even now, I do not deserve a witch as good as you. But come along."

She looked down at herself, blushing. "I'm...I'm not dressed."

"No one will see us."  
"Right, silly of me."

They stuck their heads into the pensieve, and were transported to the ballroom of Malfoy Manor where almost every deatheater imaginable was present.

Voldemort was in the center of the room, and he said, "Bring out the newest stock of mudbloods."

Hermione watched as Wormtail and McNair brought out a group of forty women. Hermione watched as each woman was raped brutally, and past Lucius and Severus was among the number. But then she saw a teen girl she never thought she would ever see: her mother Jane Granger.

"Mom..." Hermione wept.  
"Which one, darling?" Lucius asked softly. Hermione pointed to a bushy haired woman who was taken by Voldemort himself.

"Wh--What year was this?"  
"1978. Why?"  
"I...I was born in 1979."  
Lucius looked shocked. "Fuck," He cursed. "Did she never tell you?"

She rounded on him. "And tell me what?! That I'm the product of rape? Or that I'm not actually a muggleborn? Or that my father was Tom Riddle? Pick one."

Lucius couldn't answer her. "I didn't know, Hermione. How was I? These parties were meant to be a source of cruel amusement for the Dark Lord and his followers. I don't even know how your mother lived, but some were able to escape. I was never on that detail to try and hunt down the prisoners, of course. Purebloods were always the most high ranking in Riddle's regime. The next in line were halfbloods like the Dark Lord himself, and below them the lesser beings like werewolves, giants, and the dementors, of course."

They left the pensieve and she broke down into heaving sobs that made her rock back and forth. Severus held her, and asked Lucius, "What is wrong with her?"

"I will explain. Get dressed."  
Severus came over to Hermione and said, "Can you sleep, my love? I will join you later. Do you want Lucius here?"

She shook her head no, and looked up at Lucius. "I understand you had no choice in what you did, but...but I kind of want to be around Severus tonight."

Lucius kissed her lips chastely. "I understand. I'm very sorry, darling. Good night."

Lucius waved his wand and he was instantly dressed. He gave her one last look of reproach, and then nodded to himself. Severus dressed as well, and followed him out to the office. Hermione took a brief shower, and got ready for bed. She turned out the lights and curled up in Severus's bed, and felt instantly comforted by the scent of him on the smooth black sheets. She burrowed into the bedding and was out like a light. But she dreamed of Voldemort and how he violently raped her mother over and over, and then her face became her own, and his cackling filled her ears as she felt his violent thrusts invade every secret part of her...


	16. An Uncomfortable Truth

Severus

"The Dark Lord was Hermione's father," Lucius said, his voice almost a whisper. "I...I didn't know, but apparently, her mother was a girl at the time at one of the revels."

Severus sat down heavily in his office chair. His heart was hammering heavily in his chest. Riddle's daughter! Most muggleborns who became pregnant at these revels were killed. But somehow, this one witch escaped, and bore Hermione, and married some muggle who raised her child as his own. It was a hard to take in all at once. No wonder she took the news the way she did, and was deeply disturbed by it.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I should tell you that she chose me," He confessed.

"She told you that, huh?"  
"Yes, I asked her."

He hated how his cousin was fighting back her anger. "Well, how does it feel, Severus?! You finally beat me at something. Was that your plan all along? To seduce her, and leave me with nothing? You know that I love her!"

Severus glared at the blonde wizard. "Good gods, Lucius. What do you want from me? She loves me. She chose me, and I chose her. She prefers me to you, and it is her decision. Why should it shock or anger you? I have known her longer, and we have more in common besides. We agreed to let her decide who she wanted."

Lucius knocked off a few books from a table in his anger. Lucius turned around, and there were tears in his eyes. "We did. But...I never imagined that I would actually come to love her."

Severus made a steeple of his long fingers. "What did you think would happen, Lucius? Emotions always run high in these arrangements, which means that they rarely last. People get too emotionally involved, and the woman always has to choose between the two men in her life. Neither of us were meant to love her, it was supposed to be merely fun while it lasted."

Lucius slammed his hands on the desk. "That's utter bullshit and you fucking know it, Severus! You wanted her for years, but her age prevented it. You wanted to play the gallant and wait until she was old enough, not the way a deatheater would handle things--"

"Obviously. I'm not a perverse child molestor, Lucius. Unlike some wizards I could name," He said coldly. "One stands in front of me now."

Lucius made to hit him, but Severus threw up a shield charm to prevent him from striking him. Severus rose from his chair.

"I would think very carefully about your next actions, Lucius. As you seem to recall, I am your boss, and sign your paychecks," Severus continued in a silky tone of voice. "Now, you can by all means hit me if it will make you feel better. But just know that you will lose more than just your job. I doubt that Hermione will want to hear that you punched me out, because you were being a sore loser in this arrangement."

"Like I care about some filthy mudblood!" Lucius shouted.

"Langlock!" A woman's voice shouted angrily from behind them. Lucius's tongue seized itself and he grabbed at his throat as his mouth was beginning to disappear into his mouth.

Hermione had tears in her eyes. "You unfeeling bastard. I _trusted_ you! I believed you when you told me that you cared about me. But Draco was right: you _are_ a narcissistic bastard. I'm sure it's only because of Narcissa that he's the only Malfoy worth a stack of stones, you bigoted, racist piece of shit."

The hex wore off, and Lucius's lips popped back into place with an audible pop. "Hermione...I...I didn't mean it," Lucius pleaded. "Please forgive me. I was angry and wasn't thinking clearly."

Severus watched her use legilimency on Lucius, and her face turned to stone. He then saw the family resemblance to Voldemort then, and she shook her head.

"No, Lucius," Hermione said coldly. "I scanned your heart, and I was only ever a game to you, a curiosity to look upon, like one would try out a new hobby but get bored with it quickly upon completing it. Oh, I believe you when you say that you love me. But I think the only person you can love is yourself. Draco tried to tell me that many times.

"I would forgive you. Maybe things would go well for us for a year, maybe two, but your deep seated prejudices about my blood status would come back to you in a fit of anger, never mind the fact that my biological father was one of the most powerful dark wizards in existence. No, that means jack shit to a Malfoy. You are a good man deep down, Lucius Malfoy, but we would never last as a couple."

"I can change, Hermione."

She stepped away from him grabbing at her, and came to step beside Severus. Severus wrapped an arm around her protectively.   
"Go upstairs, lioness," He whispered in her ear. "I will be up soon. Do as I say."

Hermione then punched Lucius in the face, hard. "I'm satisfied now. This is the second Malfoy I punched out for calling me that racist name. Thanks so much for fucking up what could have been a good relationship there, Malfoy. Carry on, my Prince. I have had my revenge."

Hermione turned on her heel, and left the room to go upstairs. When she was gone, Severus decided that rather than firing Lucius that he would obliviate his relationship from his mind. It was the least he could do for all of the many kindnesses his family showed him over the years.

"I'm going to obliviate your relationship with Hermione from your mind," Severus decided. "It is either that or fire you for striking your Headmaster."

Lucius looked utterly defeated. He handed him his own wand. "Do it with my wand at least," He requested. "I know the charm will stick if it is done with my own wand."

"Very well. _Obliviate_."

The memory charm took effect, and when the spell began to work, he ended the flow of magic, and handed Lucius's wand back to him. Lucius nodded and Severus tested him on the memory loss. When he was satisfied that Lucius was not going to remember anything intimate between him and Hermione, he sent his cousin on his way. He felt good about the outcome, but he felt bad about Hermione having to find out about her true father in a pensieve memory.

He went upstairs to where Hermione lay in his bed. He had no need to turn on the lights, he knew this bedroom like the back of his hand. He undressed and slipped into bed with her. She was crying, and he used occlumency to calm her down. Finally, she did calm down, and she turned her body instinctively towards him as she sought his body warmth.

He caressed her cheek with his knuckles, and felt overcome with emotion for a moment. She was his at last. How long had he waited for love to come into his life? A lifetime, and then some was the answer. Well, he would love her the way she deserved, he would make sure of it.

"I love you, witch," He murmured. "Always."

He fell asleep with his arm wrapped around her protectively, her wavy brown hair soft against his face as he breathed in her jasmine and honeysuckle scents. Lucius was taken care of, but there was still Harry Potter to contend with, and he had no doubt that in the end, he would have to kill to protect his witch. But she was worth going to hell for a thousand times over, of that he had no doubts whatsoever in his mind...


	17. On The Run

Harry

Security was tightened on Hogwarts, the black haired, glasses wearing wizard noticed. Even Hogsmeade had triple the security on it. He was impatient for news! It was not fair whatsoever that he had to hide out in the same damn cave his godfather Sirius Black had to hide out in when he was on the run from the aurors.

Ron Weasley returned with food from the Three Broomsticks, and as they cooked their meal over a magical flame, he asked, "What's the latest news from the castle?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. Hermione is teaching classes in McGonagall's place, and the students say she's real tight with Snape."

Harry nearly choked on his food. "Eww. Oh man, how? The man looks like a fucking gargoyle. I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole."

Ron chuckled, "Nor would I, and I'm gay. Lockhart though...yeah, he was cute I have to admit."

"Yeah, but..." Harry began, but then his lightning scar began to hurt, and then it felt like his head was about to split open. "Impossible!"

"What's wrong?"  
"My...My scar. Voldemort..."  
"Harry, he's dead."  
"Some part of him lives."

"What witch besides Bellatrix would give that freak a kid?" Ron asked.

"I..I honestly don't know."  
"Well, we have to find out," Ron decided. "I mean, there's no chance of him resurrecting himself but if he has a kid--"

"Then we need to kill him or her," Harry concluded. "We can't afford to leave any loose ends. And I, for one won't go through another wizarding war. I've done enough in the last one by nearly dying."

Ron hugged him, kissing his temple. "I know, hon. I know. So, what's the plan?"

Harry got up to pace about the cave. He put his hands in his jacket pockets. It was very cold in this cave, and he had on a thin jacket against the cold fall weather.

"I need you to go the Ministry of Magic, and bring back a copy of the Gaunt family tree," Harry ordered. "Gaunt was Tom Riddle's mother's surname. You know that if there are any additions to a wizarding family tree, it will automatically show up once a new child is conceived, or someone gets married."

Ron agreed, "Yeah, but I doubt he married the girl, whoever she was, mate. I'm pretty sure he couldn't even love."

Harry sighed, rubbing his hands together over the fire. "No, he couldn't. I was deep into his mind once, remember? I told you about how he tried to possess me at the Ministry of Magic. After Sirius fell into that gate to the afterlife, or void."

Ron nodded. "You did. But you told me only that it hurt like hell."

Harry sat on one of the stones around their makeshift firepit, and shook his head. "I kind of...very briefly saw everything from Tom Riddle's life. He couldn't love, not because of his hatred of muggles, but because his mom used amortentia to seduce his dad. She wasn't much of a looker, but boy, his dad sure was. Well, it worked up until she became pregnant with Tom, and she named her son after his dad. The point is is that Voldemort was cursed from day one to not be able to love, because of the love potion his mother used. When his mother told this rich muggle guy that she was carrying his baby, he denied everything, and shut her out of his life."

Harry wiped at his tears. Even now, the story affected him on some deep level. But maybe that was because he would always share some connection to Voldemort, because part of his soul lived on in him.

"Could," Ron took a deep breath, and let it out before continuing. "Could his curse have been fixed? I can't imagine going through life like that."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe? I was never good at potions until I got Snape's little cheat book from his school days."

"Speaking of Snape--"

"Shut up!" Harry growled. "I don't even want to go there talking about _him_. The freak is fucking my ex wife, I just know it."

Ron sighed in exasperation, "Harry. Just let her be with who she wants. If she wants to be with the git, let her. We have each other now. Isn't that enough?"

Harry glared at his friend/lover. He liked Ron, but he couldn't get how it infuriated him that Hermione preferred the company of Slytherins instead of him. He saw how both Malfoy and Snape acted around her, and it was disgusting how they treated her like their girlfriend. He also hated how happy she was in their company. It was...just gross.

He calmed his breathing down. "I'm sorry, Ron. You're right. Let's get some sleep, I'm bushed..."

💘-----

Ron

They curled up in their sleeping bags. But some time in the night, Ron crawled into Harry's sleeping bag, and Harry moaned in his sleep. "Mione'..."

Ron wished that Harry didn't wake up before he figured out that he wasn't Hermione. Harry slipped his hand into his pants, and stroked his cock. Ron stifled his moans, he just loved Harry's hand touching him.

His moans must have awakened Harry, because he purred in his ear, "I'm sorry, about earlier, love. Forgive me?"

"I won't if you stop. That feels so good, baby," Ron moaned. Harry chuckled, peppering his neck with kisses as the movement of his hand became more sure. Their lips met when Ron turned his head. Harry deepened the kiss, playfully nibbling on his bottom lip as he slipped his tongue in his mouth. The two lovers clung to each other, and Ron waited for the next move, since Harry was the dominant one in their dynamic, the man in other words, and he was perfectly fine with that, their relationship had always been like that even when they weren't lovers.

Harry undressed him, and he followed suit. Harry licked his hand and stroked his asshole, prepping it. Ron smiled in the dark. It had been far too long since they were last intimate, but he had hated himself for feeling resentful, because Harry still thought of Hermione. He wanted Harry to focus on them, not the ashes of his marriage to Hermione. Let her have Malfoy and Snape, he just wanted Harry.

Harry entered him, and bit his neck, leaving love bites as he thrust inside of him slowly, seeming to savor the moment.

But when Harry found his release he gasped, "Hermione..."

Harry rolled away from Ron, and immediately drifted off to sleep. Ron cried in the darkness of the cave as his heart broke into pieces. He couldn't take it any more. It was time to choose a side, and as much as he loved Harry, he also knew that he deserved better. Draco's offer for him to be his spy was still open. Of course, Draco would never be with him, but he could live with that, what need did he have for love, after all? He went to sleep, his mind made up, and his heart heavy with remorse. Was he doing the right thing? Would it protect Hermione if he turned Harry in? Time would tell...

💘---

Dawn...

Ron

Ron Weasley slipped out from Harry's arms quietly, and silently dressed, and packed up his gear separate to Harry's. He penned a brief letter and here is what it said:

_Harry,_

_By the time you read this, I will be gone. I'm truly sorry for what must be done, but I cannot be second place in your heart. I love you, and have loved you for years, even when we were kids. But I know that you love Hermione, she will always have more of your heart than I can stomach. But you have to move on, Harry. Please. Just know that what I do now is for the best._

_Yours Always,_

_Ron Weasley_

Ron put the letter on Harry's pack, and secured it with a small rock so that it wouldn't fly off. Ron took one last look at his now ex lover, and walked away from him, and his misguided cause.

Once he was away some distance, he disapparated for Malfoy Manor. When he apparated at the stately mansion, a house elf butler informed him that Draco Malfoy was at work.

"Okay," Ron said awkwardly. He scratched the back of his head so his ginger hair stood up on end. "Right. He's a healer at St. Mungos, right?"

The house elf looked up at him like he was daft. He certainly felt crazy for having to side with a Malfoy on anything. "Yes, Mr?"

"Weasley."  
"Mr. Weasley. Yes, of course. Jasper remembers all of your family as having red hair. Well, Jasper shall inform Mr. Malfoy that you called upon him," The house elf butler said in a snobby voice. "Or, you could call upon him at work since he only resides here on weekends."

"What department does he work in?" He asked.

"Curse and spell work reversal, sir. Now, good day to you, Mr. Weasley," The Butler said, shutting the door in his face promptly.

Ron walked away from the doorstep of the palatial estate. He had no choice but to visit Draco Malfoy at work, and hoped like hell that he wouldn't be his usual git self, and mock him for reaching out to him in the first place. But when it came to the Malfoys, one never knew what to expect, after all...


	18. The Enemy Of My Enemy

Ron

St. Mungos loomed in the distance as the ginger haired wizard made his way through the pristine, overly sterile wizarding hospital. He had to wait in a very long line to talk to the information witch. When it was finally his turn, the old, skinny witch in a white lab coat looked him over with distaste.

"You don't even look remotely sick or cursed, boy," She said in a wheezy smoker's voice, "You might have a mild case of spattergroit, but at least that ain't contagious. What do you want? I ain't got all day."

"I..." _Oh, suck it up, Ron! You've faced down Voldemort's goons. You can meet with one slimy git of a Slytherin for Merlin's sake!_ He chastised himself sharply. "I need to speak with Doctor Malfoy urgently about my...my spattergroit."

The witch's mismatched green and black eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she shook her head. "Fine. Take your visitor's badge. Wear it, or security will toss your ass out on the street. Malfoy's office is on the top floor, penthouse suite. Good luck, he's like me and can sniff out bullshit a mile away."

She opened a metal slot on the front of her glassed-in bank teller window. Ron took the gold badge that said Visitor on it, and he was buzzed in. Ron found a lift to his liking, and punched the top floor. The floor was clearly reserved for the most prestigious healers, and Ron wondered if Malfoy bought this much prestige for himself. How else? From what he could see, the wizard had been nothing but a bully and a jock who didn't care about school whatsoever, save getting in trouble whenever possible.

The hallways were all made of beautiful black and green marble, very Slytherin in design, and very sterile like the rest of the hospital itself. He saw a gold plaquard with Draco Malfoy's name on it, and his position as a curse reverser, and spell healer. He rang the doorbell.

The door unlatched, and a bored blonde secretary who could have been a model, or Malfoy's sister, sat behind a desk filing her perfect salon nails. She had on a very tight, short mini skirt, and she showed just enough cleavage underneath her lab coat to be alluring. It did nothing for him, but he was sure Malfoy liked this witch a great deal, she seemed his type.

"Can I help you, sir?" She asked in a polite tone.

Ron nodded, and said, "Yes, I'm here to see Doctor Malfoy for a..."

"Yes, sir?"  
"A spattergroit problem."

"He is in a meeting at the moment," The pretty secretary said, "But if you were to give me your name and phone number I will certainly tell him to call you."

"A...a phone? What's that?"  
The witch rolled her blue eyes. "Purebloods," She muttered distastefully. "Fine, he will owl you," She said aloud, "Your name, please, sir?"

"Uh, Ron Weasley."  
"Ah. Yes, of course. He has been expecting you," The secretary said more politely. "Let me just call him, and--"

"...No! You don't get it, Draco!" A very familiar witch's voice shouted on the other side of the door. "I want to see the family records. He's dead, there is no point in this stupid secrecy! I'm his daughter for fuck's sake!"

Hermione burst out, dressed in very fashionable black witch's robes that made her look very much like a female equivalent to Professor Snape.

Draco looked flustered. "Hermione, I don't make the rules. I know the tests came back as positive that you are Riddle's daughter, but why is this so important to you?"

Hermione was in tears. "Because...because I think I'm pregnant, and I'm not sure who fathered my child, if in fact I am pregnant at all."

Draco hugged her, and whispered something in her ear Ron couldn't hear. But Hermione looked astonished and said, "Thank you very much, Draco, I'm honored, but no, if it is your dad's, I will have no choice won't I?"

Draco grinned. "No, I suppose not. Just...just try to forgive him, okay? I'm not saying take him back, just forgive him. He loves you a great deal."

Hermione kissed Draco on the lips, and Ron saw him blush. "I know, but..."

"Just think about it."  
"I will, I promise."  
"Thank you."  
"No problem."

She then noticed Ron for the first time and snapped, "What do _you_ want?? If you're here to spy on me on Harry's behalf you can just go to hell, Ronald."

She made sure to push into his shoulder hard and step on his right foot hard with her black heel as she left the office, slamming the door behind her.

Draco sighed, and apologized, "I'm sorry that you had to hear that. Come, let's talk more comfortably in my office. Nat, please hold my calls until the meeting is over will you?"

Nat winked at Malfoy and said, "Yes, doctor."

They went into a more plush office where it resembled a modern, but cozy office. Ron sat in a guest chair, while Draco sat behind his clear desk, waiting for him to speak.

"Why was Hermione so upset?"  
"Because she is Voldemort's only living heir," Draco answered. "The family tapestry confirmed it. Every pureblood family has a copy created for the records of the Ministry. It's how every letter to the parent's choice of wizarding school, is sent out when said child reaches the age of eleven. But that's not why you're here, Weasley. So, what can I do for you?"

Ron told him everything that happened with Harry Potter, and especially the break up. Why he felt comfortable talking about it, he had no idea, but he supposed it was because Malfoy was an unbiased listener. Draco looked studious and strangely like his dad when he listened, not interrupting once.

When Ron was done with his story, Draco asked, "Why do you want to go against your man, Weasley? I get that you're hurt that he still loves Hermione, but why are you really doing this?"

Ron thought about his answer for a long time before answering. "I want to do this, because I don't want to lose Hermione as a friend. I don't think that she is evil, but I'm scared of what Harry is going to do when he finds out she is the reason his scar is hurting again."

Draco smiled, a genuine one. "I agree. My dad's memories were obliviated of Granger's relationship with my dad, but he loves her. As much as I hate it, he would totally come unglued if anything were to happen to Hermione."

Ron shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "But I don't get it. You bullied her for years, all of us. Your family hates witches and wizards like her. Why? How are you suddenly her best friend?"

"It didn't happen over night. Hermione and I talked it over time, and tried to make a go of dating," Draco explained. "I always secretly liked her, which is why I always teased her. But being raised as I was, it never would have worked out. At the graduation party, we got to drinking, and hooked up.

"Only, it was like seriously passionate and charged. But after that night, we kind of agreed on a few more dates. After the fourth date, we figured out we didn't mesh together as lovers. We're too stubborn and bossy, you see. So, we decided to be friends. And then after dad became crazy about her, and all of that, I surrendered, something a Malfoy does not do lightly."

"But Snape?"  
"Shit, Weasley, he's always wanted her," Draco laughed, smirking. "Gods, you Gryffindors are so unobservant. Haven't you figured out that all of those times he teased and challenged her in potions class he was flirting with her? Didn't he rush to protect her first when Lupin attacked you guys?"

"Yeah, but..." Ron trailed off, his eyes widening as he thought back to his years at Hogwarts. "Merlin's beard, Draco, you're right. Madame Pomfrey said once that when Hermione turned herself into a cat instead of Bulstrode second year, Snape stayed by her bed all night in the medical ward to reverse the effects of the polyjuice potion. He didn't dock House points or give her detention, or anything. He put the blame on Harry's shoulders. Oh, wow."

"Exactly."  
"All of Slytherin knew?"  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course."  
"Wow."

"But back to business," Draco continued in a more serious tone. "If you're with us, you're with us, Weasley. I don't tolerate disloyalty, nor does my dad, or Snape. If I find that to be the case, I will deny that we ever had this conversation. Do I make myself clear?"

They rose as one from their chairs and shook hands. Ron left feeling much better than when he arrived. He couldn't believe that he shook hands with his greatest rival in school. But if the worst git imaginable could change, surely his family would accept him being gay, right? He had to try.

If they didn't, then he knew where his loyalties were, for what was that ancient saying 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?' Draco Malfoy was his friend now, but that didn't mean that that would always be the case. He had to be prepared in any event. He just hoped that they all could get Harry the help he desperately needed before it was too late...


	19. Test Results

Hermione

Two weeks after her flight from Draco's office, she was called back into St. Mungos, and Severus insisted on accompanying her. The wait was long in Draco's posh, comfortable waiting room, because he had other patients to see to, but when he called them into his office, he seemed uncomfortable somehow, and she had no idea why. But she would soon find out.

"Hey, girl," Draco greeted, hugging her. "Uncle."

"Draco," Severus said. "You said that you had the test results back?"

Draco nodded, and went to his gray file cabinet and produced her medical file. He laid it on his desk, and cleared his throat. "Do you want the good or bad news first?" He asked.

"The bad news first," Hermione decided. _You might as well get it over with any way,_ She thought.

Draco showed her a photograph of the Gaunt family tree in the Ministry of Magic archives. "The bad news is that you are Tom Riddle's daughter. I know you had that pensieve memory from dad, but I wanted to be absolutely certain and run more thorough tests on your bloodwork. The good news is that I'm not going to be having a half sibling any time soon, but you're going to be a mother, so congratulations, you two."

Hermione couldn't breathe for a second. A _mother_! Severus looked just as overwhelmed, but he looked at her tenderly and kissed her hand.

Severus read her thoughts and shook his head. "Hermione, I don't give a damn that you were fathered by that psychopath. Our child will grow up far away from his influence."

She felt relief course through her at his words. Draco cleared his throat loudly, bringing them both back to the here and now.

"There is the matter of the legality of all of this. The Riddle family was quite wealthy, you see," Draco explained. "The despot may have lived like a mooching cultist but he was far from poor. All of his assets are yours, Hermione. The law requires you to legally take his name as your maiden one."

"The law of fatherhood supremacy," Severus quipped. "Yes, I remember that one. I tried to change my last name to my mother's after becoming a deatheater once. The Dark Lord tried to assist with that, but the Wizengamot overruled it."

"That's sexist," Hermione grumbled. "Very well, I will be Hermione Riddle from now on."

"Or Snape," Severus suggested.

Hermione looked at Severus, and he gave nothing away of his emotions when he said, "We could always marry."

Hermione looked at Draco and he grinned knowingly. "Um, can we discuss this later, Severus?"

Severus nodded his head. "Of course. I will be outside."

Severus left the office, and Hermione sighed sadly. "Oh Draco, I want to marry him, but--"

"You still have feelings for my dad," Draco said gently. She nodded. He hugged her, and she cried on his shoulder. "Hey, hey, you won't hear me judging you. But I looked up the counter charm to the type of memory spell my godfather used."

"Which is?"  
"Just kiss him."  
"That's it?"  
"Yeah. A nice one."

Draco made a kissy face to her, and she giggled, playfully slapping him. He caught her hand with his, and her heart raced. A brief flicker of the charged feelings she felt the night of the graduation party came flooding back. Hermione drew back, blushing.

"I...We agreed."  
"I know," Draco sighed sadly, getting up. "It's ironic, you know, I crushed on you for years, and then my father comes in and seduces you alongside my godfather. I sometimes feel like if things had been different between us at school, if you were a pureblood..."

Hermione rose and touched the small of his back. He drew away from her. "But I'm not. But I love you as my friend. My best friend," She reassured him. "And when I marry Severus that is how it will have to stay."

"My father will still try to be with you," Draco warned. "I trust that you know that."

"Would it be so wrong if he was?"  
Draco shrugged. "Hey, as long as everyone is on board, I don't care. Hell, if they were fine with it, we could hook up too. I would like that a lot."

"Um, I will think about it."

Draco caressed her cheek, and traced her lips with his thumb. "Please do," He purred. "I will always want you, Hermione. Remember that."

Before she could stop him, Draco gave her a brief, searing kiss. He released her, and she left on shaky legs out of his office. She left with Severus holding her hand even more confused than she was before. What the hell was going on? First Severus, then Lucius, and even his damn son wanted her as well?? Okay, granted she was intimate with all of them, but this was so unusual! She had always been raised to be monogamous.

The only thing she was certain of was that she needed to talk with her two wizards, and soon, or this was going to be one very weird family dynamic indeed if she was going to be having kids left and right from three different wizards. She had already chosen Severus, and she would marry him, but what if he wasn't on board with any of this any more? She supposed that she would have to talk it over with them all, and decide then, because communication was the key, and drama was the last thing she wanted. But as she was quickly finding out, drama was the name of the game with the Malfoys...


	20. Coming Out Of The Closet

Ron

He stopped by the florist shop near to Zonko's, and checked in with George. If anyone of his relatives could understand what he was dealing with it was him. He found the backdoor, and knocked on it. George came, and let him in.

"Wow, Ron," George said, looking him over. "You look like you were run over by a pack of hippogriffs."

Rain was beginning to come down, and it reflected his rather dismal mood.

Ron scratched at his scruffy beard, and knew he probably looked like hell. "Yeah, well, being on the run is hard work, y'know? Are you gonna let me in, or do you wanna make me look like Scabbers?"

George chuckled, bringing him in, and his older brother hugged him tight. "So, what brings you over to these parts? Harry's not with you, is he?"

Ron walked over to where the heater was in the storage area of the shop. "No, but...um, that's kinda why I need to stay at home for a while."

George produced two bottles of butterbeers, and he magically warmed them up slightly. He handed him one, and Ron said, "Thanks. But--"

"No way are you gonna mention price, bro. We're family," George insisted. "Now, level with me, Ronnie. What's got your wand in a knot?"

Ron sagged against the worn sofa George pushed him into. The sofa was part of the workers break room, and reflected a very bachelor outlook on cleanliness.

Ron burst into tears. "Harry has gone batshit crazy. There is a relative of You Know Who alive. I don't know who it is, but he wants him or her dead. His scar is hurting him again, and I...I kind of think it's Hermione."

George's eyes went round as saucers. "But...but he was evil and vile. Why would _any_ witch want him?"

"I dunno. But she had this screaming fight with Draco Malfoy about it," Ron explained, "And she demanded to see the family tapestry. Do we...do we have a tapestry somewhere?"

George nodded. "Sure. Every pureblood family does. The Ministry has a copy of everyone's on file. Why?"

He wasn't sure how much to tell George, but Ron sighed, "Because Hermione is deeply involved with Snape and the Malfoys. Like, both of them."

George laughed. "Great joke! That's the best one I've heard for a long time. Mione' getting it on with three former deatheaters."

"I'm dead serious. She said, 'I'm not sure who fathered my baby, if I am pregnant at all.' "

George got up from his chair, and paced. He sat down again. "You mean to tell me that Hermione Granger. _Our_ Hermione, who we've known since school shagged both Malfoys, _and_ Snape??"

"Yes."  
"At the same time?"  
"No, eww. I think just Snape and Lucius Malfoy at the same time."

"Damn, I didn't think she went for that kind of thing," George said, impressed. "Polyamory isn't for everyone."

Ron drained his butterbeer, and confessed. "But there's another reason I'm not with Harry, and that's...well, I can't be with a guy who loves his ex wife over me."

"You're...you're _gay_?!"  
"Yep, all the way."  
"And you and Harry?"

Ron teared up, and he said hoarsely, "Yeah. I...I still love him so much, and the last time we were in bed together he called out her name. I couldn't take it any more. I'm ready to tell the family, I've kept it a secret way too long."

"Mum will probably have a fit," George replied. "But I'm not all that surprised. Percy is gay too. You saw how she reacted when Percy and her had that falling out? Well, she didn't quite handle it very well when she caught Percy in bed with a guy from his department at work."

"I've tried to date girls, believe me," Ron added. "And I'm no virgin, but I've always had thoughts of guys. I tried to ignore it, but when Harry and I kissed the first time, I just knew that I preferred guys."

"Fair enough. Let's go have dinner, I'm starved," George said.   
They went inside the shop, and used the floo network to go to the burrow.

When they arrived, Ron told a much more censored version of what happened with Harry, Hermione, all of that, not mentioning her odd lifestyle, and then Ron rose from the dinner table, and announced, "I also came back here to say I'm gay."

A pin could be dropped, the room was that silent. Then Fleur said, "It's about time. I've always known you were, Ron."

The family seemed receptive to the news, until Molly Weasley shrieked: "I WILL NOT HAVE MY BABY BOY BE A FLAMING POUF AS WELL!! YOU STOP BEING QUEER THIS INSTANT, RONALD WEASLEY!!!"

"Um, Molly," Arthur Weasley soothed, "Ron can't help it, it's not his choice."

But she rounded on her husband and screamed, "SHUT UP! I WON'T HAVE HIM IN THIS HOUSE, I TELL YOU!"

That was when his dad's face went a blotchy shade of purple. "You...won't, madam?! Ron is our son, Molly! Our _son_! AND HE WILL REMAIN IN THIS HOUSE FOR AS LONG AS HE NEEDS TO, IS THAT CLEAR, WOMAN???"

Molly Weasley looked shrunken, and tears filled her eyes as she said, "Y-Yes, Arthur. I will just...c-clean up now."

"You do that, since it seems to be all that you're good for," His dad said, calming down. Ron's dad turned to Ron and said, "I'm sorry, about your mother, Ron. I just want you to know that I love you, despite your lifestyle. You may sleep in your old bedroom."

Ron broke down into tears, hugging his father. The rest of the family hugged him in turns, even Ginny, who understood, being bisexual herself. He retired to his old room and cried himself to sleep. He needed all the sleep he could get if he was to meet with Snape and Malfoy at the Malfoy family manor, because he was still afraid of that place, ever since it was used as Voldemort's headquarters. _I'm doing this for you, Harry, my love. I just hope that you can forgive me one of these days..._


	21. A Meeting Of Lovers

Lucius

He thought it was absurd this notion that he somehow ever touched Hermione Granger in any intimate capacity. Sure, she was beautiful and talented in magic, but she was the type of witch that was of the lowest scum on the Earth: a mudblood.

"Severus, you're insane," He insisted. "I never would dare touch such a witch. You know my stance about blood purity."

Severus produced his pensieve and Severus showed him many memories where they both shagged her, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Lucius felt like scrubbing himself down with soap all over until his skin became red from the scrubbing. What the hell had he been thinking??

Hermione soon arrived, dressed in a very classy black suit in the muggle fashion. She approached him and said, "What you said to me that night I found out who my biological father was, was inexcusable. But I hurt you when I chose Severus as my primary, and I am truly sorry. I knew that you truly did not mean what you said, and I am willing to take you back."

Severus looked at her, shocked. "Hermione, why? He's too entrenched in his ways, and it is likely he will never change. You said it yourself."

Lucius watched as the witch kissed him softly, and turned her attention back to him. "Lucius, I know you don't remember everything, but can you not say that you don't find me beautiful? Powerful?"

He was backing up, uncomfortable with this sultry side of the young witch, because it was...well, hot. "I...I do. But you're--"

"A muggleborn. Go ahead and say it. I am not, though. My father was your Dark Lord," She explained. "Granted, he raped my mother at one of your revels right here in your house. But the result was the same: I am Hermione Jane Riddle."

She produced a photograph from her purse of the Gaunt family tree. The name Jane Carol Granger was entwined with Tom Riddle's, right underneath Tom Riddle Senior, and Merope Gaunt. She was his only living child. There were other threads, but they were severed, because they were killed shortly after birth by his deatheaters.

He fell to his knees before her, and wept. "My...my Lady. I...I was told that you were of muggle stock. Can you forgive me, Hermione?"

Hermione lifted his chin to meet her eyes. A tear ran down her beautiful face.

"Of course, Lucius. Rise." She closed the distance between them and kissed him. His memories of them together came flooding back, including the love he had for her. He deepened the kiss and explored her mouth with his tongue.

"Lucius..." She breathed. "Can you handle my being Severus's wife, and you my mere lover?"

"Yes, darling," He breathed. "You honor me with part of your heart."

"Good." She went to Severus's side, and said, "Then I want to talk to you both about Draco."

Severus slammed his hand on the table. "He made a pass at you, didn't he?" He nearly shouted.

Hermione sighed, and nodded. "You forget that we were together as well, albeit briefly."

Lucius understood her anger then, and kissed the top of her head. "I will deal with my son, sweetheart. Have you invited him here, tonight?"

Hermione nodded.  
"Good," He said. "And do you want him? I will not object to it, but my son has no wish to treat his witches with respect. What of you, Severus?"

Severus sighed, "I agree with Lucius in this. He simply feels left out of what we both share with you, lioness."

Hermione said, "I agree. I do not love him as I love you two. Lucius, would you object if we wed as muggles? I know the wizarding world would never accept a Malfoy marrying someone like me."

"You...you wish to marry us both, lioness?" Severus asked, surprised.

Hermione turned to them both, and said softly, "I love you both. Obviously, I'm more in love with you, Severus. But you, Lucius, I love deeply as well, and as long as I am yours equally, and you never, ever call me that ugly, racist name again, I will be your wife as well."

Lucius chuckled, and kissed her hand. "I swear to you, my love, that I will have no other witch but you, so long as we are wed."

Severus kissed her cheek as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Same, my lioness. You belong to us, always. No one else."

Hermione kissed them both, and they waited for Draco to arrive. When he did, he arrived via the floo network, and his son seemed uncomfortable with having him and Severus standing so close to her.

"Hey dad, Uncle Severus. Hermione," He winked suggestively. "I assume you know why I'm here."

Lucius said, "I will speak with you in my office son. Now."

"Hey, I thought this was--"  
"Now, Draco!"

"Fine!" Draco sulked, going up the grand staircase in a huff. When he reached his office, Draco was fuming as he paced the room restlessly.

"Hermione belongs to me and your godfather," Lucius said in his professor voice. "She will be both of our brides, and you are not to touch her."

Draco smirked, "My cock was in her long before you two sullied her. Oh, and she _liked_ it when I kissed her the other day, so she may just cheat on you both to have me. Why not just share her with me as well?"

"It is because you do not love her," He explained sharply. "You do not respect her, you do not want her as an equal. She will become your Stepmother in time, and it will be highly likely that we will be having children, so you pursuing my wife in a romantic sense will be highly inappropriate, son."

Draco seemed taken aback by his words. "You...you truly love her, don't you? More than mom?"

He hated to admit that he did, but he would always care for Narcissa, she was his first love, after all.

"Yes, Draco. I do love her. She loves me for myself, not all of this," He indicated the wealth around them. "I never thought that I could love again, but I do love her. Do you concede defeat?"

Draco fought back his tears. "I need to hear it from her. I want to hear her tell me to my face that she doesn't love me."

"Fair enough," Lucius agreed. "Let's go."

Severus and Hermione were sitting on one of the parlor couches discussing baby names, and kissing lightly. Severus was rubbing her still flat belly, and oddly enough, he felt no jealousy, because he knew that it would be his turn next time around to get her pregnant, he would make sure of it.

He cleared his throat, and they looked up at them with raised eyebrows. "Yes, Lucius?" Severus asked. "What is the verdict?"

"He wants to talk you, Hermione," Lucius explained.

Hermione nodded, and she said, "Very well. Could you excuse us?"

Lucius kissed her softly on the lips. He reveled in Draco's look of disgust as he left with Severus to begin planning dinner for the evening. Hermione winked at them both as he left the room with Severus, and he felt reassured that he could trust her alone with his son. Naturally, if Draco tried anything, he would hex him to oblivion, but that was besides the point. Still, he trusted Hermione, and loved her enough to make this arrangement work for them all, just the three of them. He just didn't trust his son around her, that was the only thing...

💘-----

Hermione

"Draco, I don't love you," She said for the fifth time in their argument. It was really getting tiresome. "And I can be no more clearer than that."

Draco looked utterly defeated, and sad. "You will regret it. My dad is such a player, he will ruin your heart for good. Please reconsider."

Hermione shook her head. "No, Draco. Please respect my wishes. I can offer you nothing but friendship."

Draco went to hug her, and he complied, whispering in her ear, "I know. And I will always be there for you, Hermione. Always."

He kissed her forehead, and stepped away from her. "Good luck with your wizards. You're going to need it."

Hermione smirked. "Oh, I know. But I love them anyway. Goodbye, Draco."

"Bye'...mum..."

💘-----

Draco

With that said, Draco stepped into the floo, and went home to his own shame of a marriage. He loved her, and always would. But his father and godfather won. They were the victors in the battle for Hermione's heart, and he had to get used to that fact.

After taking care of Astoria's needs, he called up his secretary Candy, and spent a wonderful evening rocking her world. In bed, tangled up in his sexy lover, he plotted out ways in his head to defeat Potter, and in the end decided to fight alongside his dad and godfather in order to make that happen. He just hoped that it wouldn't come to death in order to make that happen, because he was tired of war in all its forms. But then again, it was probably going to be one hell of a fight, and he needed to be prepared in any case...


	22. Ron's Meeting

Ron

Malfoy Manor stood up on the high hill in the Kent countryside. Ron Weasley felt very out of place in this snobby, fancy place. But he had borrowed one of Percy's old suits, because his bedroom at The Burrow still had a lot of his clothes there. He had shaved, showered, and thought he looked damn good if he did say so himself. He knocked on the door, and the butler showed him to the dining room, where he heard Hermione laughing at a joke, and then...Snape was laughing?

"Master Weasley is here," The butler announced. Hermione had hit Snape with whipped cream, and was licking it off his face when Lucius Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Ah, Ron Weasley," Malfoy said politely. "Do sit down. Ignore them, they were having a sort of contest to see how much of this spray whipped cream stuff they could put on their cheese cake."

Hermione wiped off her whipped cream, and giggled at something Snape whispered in her ear. "...Severus, hush! If I am carrying a girl, wouldn't you want our girl to be sugar and spice and everything nice?"

Snape kissed her softly. "Indeed, but I don't want her or him contracting diabetes before they're even born."

"Oh, hush, Mr. Chocoholic." She giggled. "Oh, hi, Ron. I didn't see you there. Lucius, where is Draco?"

Lucius looked at his watch. "Oh, he should be here any minute. Can we get you any dinner, Mr. Weasley? You look famished."

The ginger haired wizard didn't know what to make of Malfoy Senior's politeness, but he was never one to turn down a free meal, especially by a rich snob like Lucius Malfoy.

"Uh yeah, I'm starved. Thanks."  
"Think nothing of it, Ron," Lucius said.

Draco came in, dressed in a fine black suit, tailored, of course.

Draco rolled his eyes at the PDA going on in front of him, and yelled, "Merlin's beard, get a room you two!"

Severus and Hermione, who were feeding each other strawberries, paused, and she tossed a strawberry at Draco. Draco, being a former Seeker, was able to catch it in midair, and winked.

"Apologies, dad," She teased. "Will you come up later, Lucius?"

Lucius grinned. "Of course, darling. Severus, do come back soon, we have a meeting to attend to."

"Obviously," Severus remarked dryly, and then picked up Hermione, and put her over her shoulder, spanking her.

"Put me down, perv!" She giggled. "You're going to pay when we get upstairs."

Severus laughed, "Oh, I'm looking forward to it. I am in much need of punishment."

The door closed behind them, and Ron said, "Wow. They're..."

"Naughty kids," Lucius chuckled, "We both are, but she keeps us both in line. We will be here a while before Severus returns."

The plan didn't take long to discuss: Harry would be lured out into the open by Hermione, and she would attempt to seduce him using her charms. She would want to 'make amends,' and when he was distracted, everyone would move in to disarm him.

"Yeah, except Harry's a slippery bastard," Ron pointed out. "And I don't exactly feel comfortable using Mione' as bait."

"Nor do I, but Severus arranged for dementors to be at Hogwarts," Lucius said. "They didn't seem keen to help us at first, but Hermione cut her hand, and they smelled the blood, and agreed to help, because of whatever was in the Dark Lord's blood now resides in her."

"Wow, dad," Draco quipped, "And here I thought you three were just banging like rabbits instead of planning all of this out."

Lucius chuckled. "Well, we've been doing that too, of course."

"Eww," Ron said, making a retching gesture.

Draco laughed, "Agreed, Weasley. Dad, neither of us want to hear about your torrid bedroom affairs. I mean, I could discuss how I like to flog my secretary, for example."

Lucius saluted Draco with his glass of merlot. "Yes, agreed. I don't think Weasley is comfortable with kink. But good job, Draco in being the dominant one, you wouldn't be a true Malfoy otherwise."

"Of course, dad."

Severus entered the room wearing a different set of black jeans, and a dark sweater. He poured himself a glass of wine, and sagged into a chair near to Draco.

"Is Hermione asleep?" Lucius asked.

"Yes. She wants," Ron caught a secret bit of sign language that Draco blushed at. "But later, after we are done with this," Snape finished.

"Of course."

The plan was discussed again, and Ron watched as the two older wizards went up the main staircase, and he asked, "Um, what exactly did Mione' want?"

Draco giggled, and said, "Oh, she just wanted to get a nice massage from them both while blindfolded. You're a big boy, Weasley. I'm sure you can figure out what else would happen."

"But Snape was gone for a damn hour, how can she still be horny?" Ron asked out of astonished curiosity.

Draco winked. "Knock up a witch and you'll figure it out."

"I'm gay. Not happening."  
"Oh boo hoo, sucks to be you then, Weasley," Draco said in that snarky tone of voice he hated from their school days.

"Night,' git," Ron grumbled.  
"Good night to you too, Weasel."

Malfoy and Snape offered him a place to stay, but he couldn't impose. He felt disgusted that Hermione was allowing herself to be used by their former potions master, and Malfoy senior. He disapparated to where he knew Harry Potter was, and Harry immediately demanded the intel.

"Yeah, I figured that much," Harry remarked, checking his face for any stray stubble on his handsome face. "So, it's really, Mione', huh?"

Ron nodded. Harry grinned wickedly. "Look, I know you don't want to date any more, but your Unbreakable Vow to me to help me see this through will mean more to me than some tumbles in the sack."

He should have expected that, but it still hurt him that Harry never loved him. But if he was to get Harry to keep trusting him, he had to stay in his good books, or the crazy git would kill him; of that, he had no doubt.

"You're right, Harry," He agreed. "I'm bushed. I'm gonna head up to bed."

"Ron," Harry called.  
"Yeah?"  
"How did Hermione look?"  
"Happy, mate. Very happy."  
"Hmm. Pity. Night' Ron."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he went to the bedroom they stayed in as kids at Grimmauld Place, and cried into his pillow before exhaustion forced him to sleep. He prayed that this plan worked, or they all would pay the ultimate price. _Forgive me, Mione.' I hope you will over time. But I have to protect myself too..._


	23. Harry's Arrival

Harry

He knew that he was stepping into a trap as soon as he arrived at Hogwarts. Ron was with him, and Hermione arrived alone. She wore stylish witch's robes, and looked very much like a wealthy pureblood witch.

His scar hurt terribly, but he ignored the pain. "You know why I'm here. I can't afford to let you live, Hermione."

"I know, Harry," She said, a tear streaking down her perfectly made up face. "But we can work this out, I just know it."

He stepped back from her, but Hermione stepped closer, her heels clicking on the courtyard pavement. Harry didn't know why he stepped closer to her. Was it a moment of weakness? Leftover affection for her as his former wife? He didn't know, but as she closed the gap between her and kissed him, he didn't notice the loss of his wand until he heard an audible snap.

A coldness moved in Hermione's amber eyes. "Good bye, Harry."

He punched her, hard. "You whoring bitch!"

He moved to strike her again, but then he saw Hermione summon dementors to her side. Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and his former team of aurors showed up. Hermione went to Lucius Malfoy's side, and he kissed her temple. Harry froze to the spot. Hermione was...controlling them! He reached for his wand, only it wasn't there to protect him any more.

Ron held his wand on him, and that was when he knew that he was done for.

"W-Why Ron?" Harry asked, shaking his head as if to shake it from his past madness. "Why are you siding with _her_? With the Slytherins??"

Ron chuckled, his blue eyes as cold as chips of ice. "Because you need help, Harry. I loved you, but Hermione is my friend too, and I will not have you harm her simply because of your obsession with the Dark Lord."

Ron knelt before Hermione and said, "I did as you asked. I delivered the Chosen One. What do you want done with him?"

Hermione looked to Snape and Lucius Malfoy. Snape nodded to her as if to confirm something.

"Very well," Hermione said, sighing. "Good bye, Harry. I was willing to make it work between us, but infidelity I won't stand for."

"So curse me, and get it over with!" Harry snarled. "Can't do it can you? You can't be a true Slytherin. You--"

Hermione made a whisper noise in the back of her throat, and two dementors glided forward. Harry tried to run, but Draco Malfoy forced him back. The dementors closed in on him, and the last thing Harry Potter saw as a sane, lucid vision, was the sight of his former wife snogging Professor Snape. He felt himself leave his body, and then blackness forevermore...

💘---

Ron

The ginger haired wizard screamed as his best friend and former lover was given The Kiss. He didn't feel the Ministry officials come to collect him, because the curse of disloyalty fell upon him, and he began to dissolve from within. Hermione was his last vision as well, being comforted by Lucius and Severus Snape, but in the end, he couldn't even scream, and as the darkness of death overtook his senses, he knew that the next life had to be better, because at last he was at peace at long last...


	24. Visiting The Homestead

Hermione

Four Years Later...

Hermione looked down at the two bridal sets on her two ring fingers. Severus walked by her side, carrying Julian, their son, while Leo and Jean, her twins by Lucius, followed with their father in tow. They all apparated to the spot where the Gaunt house was said to still be around.

"Mummy, is this grandda's place?" Jean asked. Hermione picked up her daughter and put her on her right hip.

"He would be your great-grandfather, dear," Hermione corrected. "But yes, your mummy wanted to see where his family came from."

"Except he was a bad man," Julian said dryly, already like his father in so many ways, even down to his eyes and hair color. "I don't think we should go to a boogeyman's house. Dad, tell mum, I'm right."

Severus winked at his boy. "I think all of us should see this place, son. It reminds you of where you come from, and that is very important to one's identity. Do you understand, boy?"

Julian nodded, and hugged his father about the neck. The house, if you could call it a house, came up on the path they were walking on. Lucius looked at it with distaste.

"This is where the Dark Lord was born? I...It's hard to believe," Lucius said, shaking his head.

"Hmph, and I thought my childhood home was bad," Severus commented, setting down Julius. The kids huddled together for emotional support. They were a year apart, her two pregnacies, and she was trying for another child.

Leo looked about the small, filthy hovel, and pointed out, "It was always dirty and bad. Great grandmum's brothers were bad wizards. But she was...good, and nice."

Hermione snapped her fingers under her son's nose, and it brought him out of his trance. "Sorry, mum. What did I say?"

"Not much, Lee," Hermione said. "You went into one of your trances again."

"Oh, okay. Sorry, mum."

Hermione hugged her son, and smoothed back his dirty blonde hair from his forehead. "Don't be, honey. It's just one of your gifts."

"Doesn't feel like one."

"They rarely do, but one day, you will learn to control it, you'll see," Hermione told her son.

The house around them was filthy, and was in sore need of repair. It was very small, and Hermione began to see why Merope Gaunt would want a better life for herself deep down. She hated to use any of her father's magical gifts, but one of them was the ability to see what a place looked like in the past. Leo had the ability as well, only it came to him in the form of a sort of trance, and he couldn't control when he had them as a child.

She closed her eyes, and then opened them. The hovel changed around her to a more ordered, clean home. But it was clear that the family was poor, and whatever wealth the family had dried up long ago.

Merope had kept the place spotless, but after her death, her brothers lived in filth and squalor until their own deaths in Azkaban for killing muggles at some point in their lives, Hermione did not know when.

Severus found her in Merope's old bedroom, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her cheek. "Are you okay, lioness?"

She turned to face him, and shook her head. "She was so sad here...so miserable. But having a baby was the greatest joy of her life, Severus."

Severus smiled warmly. "I can sense that. I know it is for you as well."

"I want another one from you."  
"Just me?"

"Mmhm," She murmured, nodding. "Oh, I'm not saying I won't have another by Lucius, but..you know."

Severus nodded, understanding. She loved both of her husbands, and would do anything for them, but her bond with Severus would always be the strongest one.

"I do know. So does he."  
"He doesn't seem jealous."  
"He has two kids with you, dear, there is no room for jealousy any more."

"Oh. Well, that's good."

Hermione saw a broken jewelry box, and she opened it. There was a gold signet ring with the Riddle crest on it. She touched it, and visions flashed across her consciousness as she was drawn into the visions...

" _Keep this with you always, my love," Tom Riddle says to Merope._

_The young witch kisses him, and says, "Always, Tommy. You know that." She touches the very slight curve of her belly._

_Tom Riddle kisses the young witch, and says softly, "I have to go to this ball my family is setting up for me tonight."_

" _Can I go with you?"_  
 _"No, darling, stay here."_  
 _"Okay. But you will return?"_  
 _"Always."_

_Merope Gaunt watches Tom Riddle leave on his handsome brown horse..._

_Two Weeks Later..._

_"You lying bitch!" Tom Riddle snarls. "I'm telling you that I would never touch a disgusting peasant like you._ _The child is not mine."_

" _But Tommy, I love you!"_  
 _"I'm leaving," Tom Riddle says coldly, and gives Merope Gaunt five shillings. "Here. Five shillings for the pleasure of your company. Don't come after me again..."_

Severus was shaking Hermione awake, and the noise drew Lucius into the room as Hermione broke into sobs.

"Oh, darling what's wrong?"  
"I had a vision."  
"What of?"

She told her two husbands, and they held her close as she felt the residual heartbreak of her Grandmother replay itself.

"Severus, you're the legilimens," Lucius decided. "I will take the kids back to the manor."

Lucius gave Hermione a loving, soft kiss and whispered, "Do you want me to come to you tonight?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, darling. Tomorrow. I need to spend some time with Severus."

Lucius nodded, stuffing his hands in his suit pockets. She knew it hurt him slightly that she favored Severus more, but it was only because he loved her deeply that it was hard sometimes to share his wife with his cousin.

When she said goodbye to her children, and they were left alone, Severus said, "Do you want to keep the ring?"

Hermione picked it up, and held it in her hand. She felt nothing else from it, and was able to transfigure it to fit her left thumb, and made it so it never slipped off the way a thumb ring usually does.

"I might as well," She answered, "It is a part of my Grandfather's legacy, after all. But once the amortentia wore off, he hated Merope so much, Severus! Not even when I argue with either you or Lucius have you ever looked at me with such cold hate. It was...quite disturbing. I suppose if I were the child of such a union, I wouldn't look favorably on muggles either."

Severus grinned. "You sound as if you admire your father."

Hermione shook her head. "No. He was insane and evil, my Prince. You, Lucius, Leo, Jean, Draco, and Julian are the only family I need. I feel so lucky that I have two handsome wizards in my life who love me fiercely."

Severus kissed me chastely. "That we do, my lioness. Do you want to go home?"

"Not tonight. I want to see the sea again, just the two of us," Hermione said in a dreamy, almost Luna Lovegood type of voice.

"I know just the place," Severus said. Hermione stepped into his arms, and he disapparated them to a charming seaside cottage done in a country colonial style...

💘----

"It's beautiful, Severus!"  
"It's ours."  
"Really??"

Severus laughed, kissing her neck playfully. "Mmhm. I figured it would be a lovely escape from home, and a cottage for our children."

"Oh, Severus!" Hermione exclaimed, kissing her husband fiercely. He wrapped her up in his arms, and picked her up bridal style. He carried her up the stairs of the wraparound porch across the threshold of the front door, and set her down.

The house was already fully furnished, and looked ready for a family to spend their summer holiday there. The furniture was light and airy, and the rooms all open and breezy. Upstairs, were the bedrooms for everyone, but inside the master bedroom, the design scheme reflected her husband's dark elegant style.

The bedding was a dark emerald green, and silver fixtures were everywhere in the room.

Hermione laughed, "Of course, you would pick Slytherin green. As if I could forget that two Slytherins bed me on a daily basis."

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what you mean, madam. I thought you liked green. Whatever will I do?"

Hermione giggled. "Shut up and kiss me, you dork."

Severus obliged, and they made out for a bit on their bed before she got the idea.

"Severus, stop. For just a second," She said. He was suckling one of her nipples, and he dropped her breast with a wet plop.

"Yes, lioness?"  
"Make love to me on the beach."  
"Hmm. We've never done that before. It sounds fun."

"Can we?"  
"Of course. It is our property, after all," He pointed out.

She put her shirt and bra back on, and Severus gave her the grand tour of the house. There was plenty of room for the kids, and themselves as well. The cottage wasn't as big as the seaside Malfoy retreat in Ireland, but this had none of the prissy Gone With The Wind charm the Malfoy plantation had, and all of the charm of a relaxed beachside residence. She loved it immediately.

They walked barefoot along the shoreline as the sun set, and when the Crescent moon rose, Hermione stripped off her clothes, and ran into the water. Severus followed suit, and they played in the water for a bit before they decided to snog right then and there.

When he laid her down on the beach sand, Hermione lost herself in her handsome husband, and he in her as he kissed along her neck, stroking her pussy expertly in teasingly slow circles.

"Severus...Please, I need you now," She panted as he slipped two fingers inside of her wet folds.

"How bad?" He teased, winking.  
"Enough to rock your world."  
"Lovely."

He slipped his fingers out of her, and entered her in one smooth move, capturing her lips with his. Hermione bucked her hips, drawing Severus further inside of her until he bottomed out. Severus lifted her feet to rest on his shoulders as he thrust in and out of her at a fast pace, making her breasts bounce with every thrust.

She reveled in the feel of her lover filling her up, and she bit his shoulder when she hit her climax shortly after. Severus paused in his movements to frame her face with his hands, and stare into her eyes. Hermione blushed, overwhelmed suddenly by the love she felt from him. A tear ran down her eye, and he brushed a thumb across to brush it away gently.

Severus thrust inside of her over and over, not daring to take his eyes off of her. She wanted to close her eyes, but he purred, "Don't, love. I want to see you."

She nodded. He nodded back, kissing her passionately as she held on to him for dear life as she came again, screaming her pleasure for the world to hear. Severus soon followed, filling her to the brim. He was going to withdraw, but she held him tightly with her legs, shaking her head.

He laid her off to his side so as not to crush her with his weight.

"Are you sure?" He asked.  
"Yes. It's time."

Severus smiled, running his hand through her wet sandy hair. "I agree. I was about to ask you if you wanted to try again. But it means Lucius will be left out."

Hermione sighed, sadly. "I know. But I want my next child to be yours. I can only do that by you knocking me up. If I'm with both of you like we are normally, then it could be either yours or his."

Severus chuckled. "It almost doesn't matter, considering we share you as a wife."

She hadn't thought of it like that before and chuckled. "I know, but I still want this next child to belong to just you and I. It would mean the world to me, Severus. Please."

"You won't hear me complaining."  
She snuggled into his chest, and loved how he could smell of mint, sandalwood, and potions while after swimming in the ocean. "Alright, yes, yes, I agree."

They rinsed off in the ocean, grabbed their clothes, and had a lovely dinner before going to bed. When they got back to Malfoy Manor the next day, Draco was there fuming mad, but not at them. No, it had to do with Lucius, and some receipts his son found in his office while doing some business balancing the family's budget for the year...


	25. Severing Ties

Severus

Three Weeks Later...

When Draco brought the evidence in clear black and white ink that Lucius was cheating on Hermione, he destroyed part of the library in his rage. After everything his cousin put his wife through: the drinking, the illegal potions use, even yelling in front of the twins on occasion; even when before Jean and Leo were born, and Hermione took Lucius back; no, this was inexcusable in his mind, and unforgivable.

"You are certain of this?" He asked his godson.

Draco nodded, as if unsure what to say to him. "I also had followed him as you said, and he's been racking up debts with this Knockturn Alley club called The Dragon's Lady, which is a--"

"An S&M club," He finished for Draco. "Yes, I frequented the place myself in my youth. The membership dues are expensive, unless you work there as a Dom."

Draco looked at him in astonishment. "Oh my gods, _please_ tell me that you don't work there now whipping witches and whatever for their pleasure."

Severus grinned. "No, of course not. I love my family too much to do that to them. You know that."

Draco was satisfied with his answer, which was the truth. He had not been into that lifestyle since after Lily was killed. But he had been well sought after, even popular, one might say, as a valued employee until Voldemort found out and, while it amused the despot to have one of his deatheaters be a glorified male prostitute, he sent him to Hogwarts to spy on Dumbledore instead.

"I do know that, Uncle," Draco reassured him. "But these receipts are like, recent. As in, he was there yesterday. I trailed him as best as I could, but I didn't want to be seen in front of a nasty place like that. What are you going to tell Aunt Hermione? She said one more fuck up and she's going to kick his ass to the curb."

Severus righted the books on the library shelves with magic as he thought. What could he possibly say to Hermione to make this right? She took Lucius back once, and they had two great kids in that intervening time. No, this would devastate her.

"You and I have to tell her," He decided. "You she is not likely to just believe on face value. But if we presented proof of these transgressions, then yes, she will believe us."

Draco looked saddened by all of this. He knew that he had come to love his half brother and sister dearly, and he was fiercely protective of them as a result. Draco would be a great father when his time came.

Hermione was playing with the kids in the gardens when Severus asked to see his wife alone. The nannies took charge of the children, and they went upstairs to their bedroom to talk.

"Okay, what is this about Severus?" Hermione asked. "Julian wanted help with picking out some potions ingredients."

He sat on the edge of their bed, and patted the space beside him. She sat, looking very concerned now. "Severus, what's happening? You're starting to scare me now."

Severus handed her copies of the receipts, and he explained, "It is a club in Knockturn Alley that specializes in fulfilling just about every sexual fantasy imaginable. It's very exclusive, and very expensive for members."

Hermione used legilimency on him, and then began to cry. He let her, and held her close. "How could he, Severus?!" She cried. "We have two beautiful children, a great life here. I know things haven't always been easy between the three of us, but we're married, and that's life. Please Severus, you're a man, tell me why."

He paced a bit before answering his wife. He had no wish to cause her more pain, but he had no choice. He knew Lucius all too well, and he had been waiting until his 'big brother,' fucked things up royally between himself and his wife.

"Hermione, if you had asked me in my youth, I would have said to you that boys will be boys. But now? Now, I just call it irresponsible. Lucius has this...appetite that being in the Dark Lord's service created in him. I had it too in my youth. You know how you and I have done some kinky things in the bedroom?"

She nodded. "I didn't like some of it, but yes, I know that you know way more about sex than me by comparison."

"And you know how I lead?"  
"Yes. I like it."  
Severus grinned slightly. "I know, lioness. I know you enjoy that. But we are not discussing us. Well, for Lucius I'm sure it's just a release for him, like sex is the majority of time for men. But he should have put aside these pursuits when he decided to become bonded to you as his wife, that is the problem."

Hermione wiped at her tears. "I just...I can't believe that he would go to such a club. He has me. Haven't I done more than enough to fulfill his needs? Why would he do this to me? To the twins??"

He kissed her hands, and his inner right wrist. "Lioness, I don't know. I truly don't. I love you with all of my heart, and would never risk losing it for a few hours pleasure."

"I know that, my Prince."

He then told her about his wild youth. How he couldn't exactly make ends meet after he graduated from Hogwarts, and so became a highly sought after Dominant in the club Lucius now frequented. Voldemort had been greatly amused by this discovery when he found out one of his soldiers was this glorified male prostitute.

"Wait, he didn't torture you?"  
"No, oddly enough," Severus answered. "But the fun ended when I had to explain to him that I had to fuck muggleborns as well as pureblood witches. The club cannot discriminate, and the members don't have to give out their blood status on their application forms, you see. Total anonymity in the club."

"Wow. So, I could go shag some Ministry official, or the Minister of Magic himself, and not even know it?" Hermione asked curiously.

Severus chuckled, "Yes, if they showed up, of course. I was an employee as one of the Masters, so I never paid a member fee."

"Lucky for you. But I would literally hex off your balls if you cheated on me, Severus," She replied seriously. "How lovely that you can only use your talents on me."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that."  
"Draco had him followed?"  
"Of course."  
"I will want to see the memories."  
"As you wish, lioness."

They found Draco and examined his memories in Severus's pensieve. When it was done, he held Hermione close as she broke down into tears. Draco hugged her as well.

"Are you sure that you don't want me there to help you confront him?" He asked his wife.

Hermione shook her head. "No. I feel like I need to confront Lucius alone. Will you and Draco watch over the kids?"

He kissed her forehead. "Of course. Be careful, lioness."

A steely look came into Hermione's eyes. "Oh, I will be. I promise you, my Prince. He will pay for this..."


	26. Severing Ties Pt. 2

Hermione

Hermione helped Severus put the kids to bed, and read them bedtime stories, although he read them better in his velvet-like voice, in her opinion. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, and murmured a tempus charm: midnight. Well, it was as good an hour as any to wait up for her wayward husband.

She went downstairs to the mammoth sized kitchen in the manor, and fixed herself some coffee. A strong cappuccino. When it was done, she acciod some of her essays and homework from her students, just to have something to do, besides twiddle her thumbs, or watch the telly in the entertainment room.

Four hours passed as Hermione worked, and finally, she heard Lucius in the main foyer stumbling out of the fireplace. _Oh, great! The fool connected the brothel to the damned manor in the floo network. What more proof do you need, girl?_ Lucius must have seen the light on in the dining room, and was curious enough to see who was up at 4:30 AM.

"Hermione...I...I didn't know you would be up. I had to...um, work late," Lucius stammered. He wore black leather pants with some tight dark blue shirt tucked into it, and smelled of booze, other women's perfume, and cigarettes.

She slammed the book on her student's papers shut, and sipped her cappuccino. "Sit. We need to talk, Lucius," She said in a silky tone. "And you will not leave this room until you can explain to me why you have come home at almost five in the morning."

Lucius sat, very uncomfortable at this point, but an outsider would think that he didn't care. But the way he was breathing hard, and the sweat was running down his face, spoke volumes about Lucius Malfoy's mindset to Hermione. He was, in a word: scared.

"I told you, I have to run Malfoy Enterprises, and it necessitates that I am away during strange hours. You have to believe me, Hermione. Please," Lucius said coolly.

Hermione nodded. "Uh huh. And by this explanation I am to discern that The Dragon's Lady is some simple gentleman's club?"

His face registered real fear now, but she was just getting started. "W-Who told you about that place? It's...not a pleasant place."

Hermione could have laughed right in her husband's face at this point. But she did not, and it was because she decided that she would try abject humiliation over violence to properly chastise him for violating his marriage vows.

"Oh? According to both Draco and Severus, this club caters to a sadomachistic lifestyle. He was even a Dominant there in his youth," Hermione continued, sipping her cappuccino calmly. "So you two know this club quite well. Draco has assured me that you are not one of the employees, but it does not excuse your behavior. I warned you what would happen if you wronged me again, Lucius Malfoy! I warned you!"

"And what are _you_ going to do? I'm rich, I can easily recover from a divorce," Lucius said menacingly. "But think about Jean and Leo, darling. What will you tell them if they ask about their daddy?"

Hermione rose and pointed her wand at him. "I will explain when they are old enough how much of a dirtbag scumbag you truly are, Lucius. Besides, they will have a father, and I guarantee that you will have no part in their raising from this day forth."

Lucius pointed his wand at her, but she disarmed him as quick as lightning. "Petrificus totalus!" She cast. He froze to the spot, and fell back like a huge chunk of ice.

Hermione stood over him and said, "I think you will find that with the prenuptial agreement we signed, that it clearly states that if you fuck around I get...well, _everything_. This mansion, your Gringotts account. Everything. You just made me a very wealthy witch, so thank you in a way, _darling._ Just know that I did love you, Lucius. Once upon a time. I took you back and gave you a chance, we married, and had two beautiful children. I wouldn't trade our son and daughter for the world. But I'm going to take you for everything for their sake. Goodbye, Lucius Malfoy."

Severus had been waiting in the wings, as they agreed, and he whispered that he loved her in her ear. "I know, my love. Just make it quick. I have a need for your arms around me tonight."

Hermione left the two long time friends and cousins alone, and went to bed. She took a shower, gor ready for bed, and strangely enough, had no more tears left for her husband. In fact, she felt nothing at all. _What is wrong with me? My marriage is breaking in half and I don't seem to care!_ But she did care, and she would live for her kids. Life would go on without Lucius Malfoy, and Draco would certainly help with his half sister and brother, he had promised that he would. She cast a silencing charm, and settled in to sleep, not aware of the knockout, screaming fight taking place in the mansion below her...


	27. Severing Ties Pt. 3

Lucius

The fight began as soon as the Petrificus totalalus hex wore off, and Hermione had gone to bed upstairs. Severus had struck the first blow, and before they knew it, both wizards were rolling around, punching and hitting each other. Draco had arrived just in time, and separated them. The parlor was trashed, and in complete disarray.

Lucius wiped at his split lip, and shouted, "She is mine, Severus! I swear I will not leave this marriage without a fight."

Severus laughed. "Will you now? Good. Perhaps then you can explain to your four year olds that their father is a cheater."

"You worked there yourself!"  
"I did," Severus admitted. "But I have no need to indulge in such debauchery any more. For you see, I have put aside childish things, and live for my family."

Draco released Severus and Severus approached him, invading his personal space. "Listen to me, Lucius, and listen well. I will ensure that your children are well provided for. I will even raise them with all of this wealth. But you will agree to the divorce. You will give your wife full custody of the twins. And you will not fight Hermione on this, or I promise you that it will get ugly the legal fights in the courtroom."

Lucius straightened his stretched out t-shirt and picked up his discarded wand. "Well, then I look forward to seeing you in court," He said. "But tell me, Severus, was this one witch worth flushing down over thirty years of friendship down the loo?"

Severus said seriously, "Yes. Hermione is worth everything to me, Lucius, and so are those children. Get your father out of here, Draco. Now."

"This isn't over," Lucius threatened. "I will have those kids of mine."

"I'm counting on it," Severus said coldly. Lucius shivered from the cold hate in his cousin's black eyes.

Draco led him off of the grounds, and he tried one last time to bring his only true son to his side. "Please, Draco. Please come with me. You know supporting them is a lost cause."

Draco shut and locked the black rod iron gate, and smirked. He had no love for him either in his face and bearing, which hurt him deeply.

"No, _Lucius_. It's not. Hermione is a wonderful mother, wife, and an all around good witch. I'm only shocked that you would toss all of that aside to whore around. But as the twin's godfather, I swear to them that they will know just how much of a scum bag you truly are when they are old enough.

"You made me hate her for years, you and mom. You knew I liked her, had real feelings for her, but when I saw that my godfather wanted her, I sucked it up like a man, and set her aside, because his feelings were reciprocated. Then you had to pursue her, and I sucked it up as well. Well, no more. Hermione deserves my loyalty, and those kids you fathered on her deserve a godfather that will be there for them no matter what, because unlike you, I am a real man. Now, get out of my sight, Lucius. You are no father of mine."

Lucius had no choice but to walk away in abject shame and defeat. He was done. Finished. He went to the club, and did a few scenes with some willing witches who resembled Narcissa, but it took a lot of effort to get himself off. Gods, he missed his first wife! She had been the love of his life. Until Hermione Granger came on the scene, he never thought that he would find love again. Yet here he was, drinking in an S&M club, and sticking his cock into anything that moved. Well, he had to let her go, and he would. But those kids belonged to him, and no other, and he would fight for them no matter what...


	28. Bath Time

Hermione

Two Years Later...

Seeing Lucius Malfoy three days out of the week for the court sessions was beginning to weigh on her. Draco and Severus were very supportive and helpful with the kids, but she would be lying if she said that the stress was not weighing her down on top of her classes at Hogwarts. 

She was finishing up her work on her midterm exams when Severus came in to her classroom.

He put a hand on her latest essays and said, "No, you're done for the day, lioness. As your Headmaster, I order you to rest, we have to be in court tomorrow morning."

Hermione tried to wrench his hand from her parchments and gave it up for a lost cause. "Fine! Fine! No more work. What did you have in mind to relax for said busy day?"

Severus grinned, a wicked gleam dancing in his sinfully dark eyes. "Oh, well, I think it is far overdue that we go to the prefect's bathroom to...relax as you say."

A stirring began inside her loins, something she had not felt in some time due to their very busy work schedules. Hermione chuckled, "Oh? Something in particular, Headmaster Snape? I dare say such sultry speech would not reflect well upon us."

Severus leaned over her desk, and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back, nibbling on his lower lip as she kissed him back. "I don't give a damn if the students see us, Professor Snape," He growled. "Or what they think. I think a personal meeting is in order, don't you think?"

She winked, chuckling. "Very well. I think a meeting can be taken. But after dinner--"

"In my old quarters."  
"In the dungeons?"  
Severus winked back, nodding. "Indeed. I do not plan to let you out of my sight tonight."

"It's a date then," Hermione decided then. Severus grinned, pleased by this outcome. 

She retired to her quarters in Gryffindor tower, and changed into a light blue suit with a modest pencil skirt, and left her hair down. With that done, she went down to the dungeons, and knocked on her husband's door. He opened it, wearing his frock coat, having forgone his required teacher's robes. 

"Do come in, Madame Snape," He greeted, kissing her hand. Hermione blushed, marvelling that even after all of this time, he still had the power to enchant her so. 

Her husband's usually dark, dour living space was transformed with candles being enchanted to float above them just like in the Great Hall. A meal for two was laid out next to the fireplace, and he pushed in her chair when she sat down. He sat across from her, and for a long time, neither one of them spoke. 

"I don't think I have ever been in this room, save your office," Hermione pointed out. "Nearly six years being your wife and I have never been in here. It's a shame."

Severus chuckled, "Yes, well, I plan to correct that oversight. How was your day?"

She broke a piece of garlic bread and soaked up some of her white sauce before answering. "Stressful on top of Lucius's bullshit. I can't believe that he would cheat, Severus! We have two kids, a good family life."

Severus sipped his cabernet savignon, and swallowed. "He was always the more posessive of us, I fear. I'm frankly not surprised that he wants to contest this divorce, lioness. But please know that the fault lies with him, not you. I don't want you blaming yourself."

Hermione reached across the table to hold his hand. He kissed it gently. "I know, my Prince. I know. I just...I cannot help but love you more. I love Leo and Jean, and I wouldn't trade those kids for the world, but are you really okay with raising them alongside our son?"

Severus smiled warmly. "Hermione, as far as I am concerned, any child that is a part of you is mine as well. I told you that when you became pregnant with the twins. I insisted that I held no jealousy or resentment towards them, and that I do not love you any less. I meant it then, and I mean it now. If you have to divorce Lucius, then I am more than ready to raise all of our children with you by my side."

Hermione teared up, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Thank you, Severus. I don't want to think any more about Lucius tonight. We will be seeing him in the morning soon enough."

"Agreed. Let us eat and go bathe. How does that sound?" Severus asked. 

Hermione agreed. "I can think of nowhere else I would rather be tonight than by your side."

They ate dinner in relative silence, and when it was done, they left for the prefect's bathroom. It held a huge bathtub and several rows of toilet stalls for both witches and wizards. When the tub was filled with suds and water, Severus shut off the water with a flick of his wand, and undressed. She followed suit, and they bathed and leisurely swam in the sudsy hot water for a while, just enjoying each other's company for a time. 

Their hands found each other, and they turned to face one another in the water. Severus cupped her face with one hand while holding her flush to his body. His lips brushed against hers, and she melted as their mouths moved against one another, tongues exploring each other eagerly. She felt him caress up and down her back, and cup her ass as his stiffening member teased her inner thigh. 

"I want you," She breathed, panting heavily. "I need you inside of me so badly I could scream."

Severus chuckled, wrapping her legs around his waist as he moved through the water until they were on one of the built in benches. "Sit up on the ledge," Severus ordered. "I want to try something with you."

Hermione obliged, getting up out of the tub to sit on the ledge. Severus stroked himself for a bit before sliding inside of her wet slit. Her legs automatically wrapped high around his waist as he began moving inside of her, slow at first, and then faster and faster as they kissed at a feverish, passionate pace. Hermione screamed as she hit her climax, and Severus followed soon after, kissing her deeply as he filled her with his release, holding her close as they both came down from their highs. 

"Well, that was fun," Hermione said, kissing her husband lightly. "But I'm sure Filch is having a fit at this point thinking that a couple of students are in here shagging."

"Considering that we both used to be students here isn't so much of a stretch," Severus pointed out, laughing in that quiet way of his.

Hermione laughed, and yawned. "Well, I think I could stand to sleep in your old quarters. What do you say?"

Severus helped her out of the tub after they both rinsed off. "I think it sounds like the end of a perfect night."

They got ready for bed, and went to bed soon after. Hermione soon slept, and thoroughly enjoyed it, knowing that it was to be the last of peaceful days, because she had yet another divorce trial to attend, only this time in a muggle court system. She had no idea what to expect, but she knew that she could handle it with Severus by her side, no matter what, come what may...


	29. A Short Divorce Trial

Hermione

The London Lower Court received us as simply as a regular muggle couple, because we chose to dress incognito in dark professional suits. I knew that it burned Lucius Malfoy's pride that I insisted that I marry him in the muggle world. But was I to blame for the fallout of my marriage? I certainly favored Severus more, and I told both of my wizards so many times who I loved more. I had thought that we moved past such jealous insecurities. But I was wrong, very wrong indeed.

"Are you alright, lioness?" Severus asked. 

I shook my head. "No, but I will be. I'm going to ream him for everything he has."

"You mean to use manipulation on these solicitors." It was not a question. 

I grinned wolfishly. "It won't be an Unforgiveable, don't worry."

Severus simply squeezed my hand underneath the table. After the judge permitted everyone to be seated, I discreetly flicked my wand and cast under my breath, "Impartaconfundus."

Severus smirked discreetly. "A rare but long winded spell. Let's see how it plays out."

Lucius smirked at us, but I ignored him as both of us presented our evidence. Lucius claimed that I neglected him in the bedroom, and our marriage had been sexless for some time.

"Your Honors," I said, adopting an earnest tone of voice. "My husband Larry is totally lying. I have a hectic teaching job to do every week, and I have to raise our twins Jean and Leo. I spend whatever spare time I can for my husband. He knows this, and yet wants to fight me on custody any way for our son and daughter."

"Well, I..." A blank gaze fell on the judges' faces. "Yes, I think this is all in order, Mrs. Renault."

"This is utter bullshit!" Lucius shouted. He slammed his fist on the table. "You won't have our kids forever, Hermione! You mark my words."

I laughed coldly, and said in a deadly serious tone, "Considering that they will be raised partially by your son, I don't think you want to challenge him for that. I would suggest you leave before I do something that will be more permanent, and which you will care for more than our marriage."

Lucius had no choice but to leave with his tail tucked between his legs. Severus and I went home, and we explained what happened in court to Draco over dinner. 

He was optimistic about the outcome. "..But we have to protect the kids from my father."

"See to it," Severus ordered. "Don't worry, love. We will keep Lucius away from our children. Go upstairs and I will join you later. How does that sound?"

I kissed Severus and said, "I think that sounds great."

He playfully spanked me as I headed up the stairs, and got undressed. Little did any of us know how far Lucius would go to exact his revenge for his embarrassment in court...


	30. The Storm Breaks

Severus

He helped secure the Manor from outside dangers, but what they didn't count on was the hidden passageways leading in and out of Malfoy Manor. It was beginning to storm outside, but just as he was strengthening the protective enchantments of the Manor, Hermione's screams pierced the darkening skies.

His eyes met Draco's, and they took off running for the inside. Lucius has grabbed one of the children, Jean, he knew it was, because of her pink fuzzy pajama set. He had already plunged a knife into his own daughter, and twisted it.

"LUCIUS, NO!!" Hermione screamed. "You...you bastard!!"

Lucius yanked Hermione by the hair, and stood her upright against him, his wand at her throat. "Ah, Severus...traitor," He grinned sardonically. "Drop your wands, or she dies. Slowly. But first, I think I want to show you what happens to disobedient, imputent slaves. Lean over the rail bitch."

Hermione snarled, "No! I won't fuck a murderous psychopath."

Lucius tore at Hermione's robe, and she screamed when he thrust himself inside of her forcefully. Lucius had his gray eyes fixed on Severus and Draco, but no one paid any attention to the little dark haired boy that stealthily picked up a bloody knife, and he reached up and stabbed the handsome blonde wizard in the right thigh. Lucius screamed as he pulled out of Hermione, collapsing to the upstairs landing.

Lucius tried to stand and he pointed his wand at Severus, but he cast his disarm spell at the right moment without using his wand. Lucius's wand went flying somewhere in the foyer.

"Sectemsempra!" Severus cast as he stood over his cousin and former 'big brother.' He poured all of his hate, resentment, and yes, even jealousy into the curse.

Draco shielded Julian's eyes as best as he could, but nothing could prevent the wizard child from watching his Stepfather/Uncle being torn from within. Bones snapped and crumbled to dust, blood drained all over the pristine white marble floors. When Severus couldn't hold the curse any longer, he ended the flow of magic, and went to his wife.

Hermione had been punched and beaten before Lucius grabbed her daughter from her bedroom, which indicated that she fought to protect her babies. Hermione was blessedly unconscious, but a good deal of her silver pajamas was torn, and Lucius had bruised the insides of her thighs as he raped her violently. He tucked away his wand in a pocket of his robes, and bridal carried her to their bedroom.

The bedroom was trashed, and he could smell sex in the air. She had fought here once she saw him, and had raped her the first time. He then overpowered her as he grabbed Jean. The rest he knew. He had known Lucius Malfoy for most of his life, and he couldn't wrap his head around why he would harm one of his own children, and wife.

But whatever secrets his cousin held were forever silenced with his death. Draco had found Leo, who hid in his closet, and he was trying to quiet the two boy's crying.

But Julian would have none of that: "Daddy, I want mummy! Bad daddy almost got her. Please, please, _puhleeze_ daddy!"

He looked down at his son, and laid Hermione gently on the bed. He then kissed his son's cheek. "I want you to stay with your mother, Julian. Do you hear me? Don't wake her, she is badly hurt."

Julian nodded, his little six year old face schooled into a calm, stoic expression. "Yes, daddy. I promise. Bad daddy hurt mummy. I took his knife and gave him a booboo."

"Yes, you did. But you must not do that unless you're in danger, do you hear, boy?" Severus admonished.

Julian hugged him, and he tucked his son in next to Hermione. Severus then gently kissed his wife's forehead. He magically set the room to rights, and scorgified the bedroom. With that done, he found Leo and Draco sitting in the kitchen eating rocky road ice cream.

Leo was more subdued, but still crying. He could not imagine the trauma of losing your twin sibling. Leo had been as close as peas in a pod with his sister.

Draco whispered something in his little brother's ear, and he whined, "But I wanna finish the ice cream."

Draco tousled Leo's dirty blonde hair. "It will be there tomorrow, kiddo. Now, get upstairs, your mum would want you in bed."

"Only if you read me a bedtime story, daddy," Julian insisted.

Severus picked up his boy, and settled him on his right hip. He had to clean up this bedroom as well, but at least it wasn't as messy as the master bedroom. He got his son under the covers, and read his son the fairytale Cinderella.

Julian yawned. "But daddy, wouldn't she cut her feet dancing with the Prince?"

"I imagine that to be more likely. Get some sleep, son," He soothed.

"Daddy?"  
"Yes?"  
"Are you mummy's Prince?"

Severus smiled warmly. "Of course, son. And I'm hoping that one day soon, you will have other brothers and sisters to play with. Would you like that?"

Julian nodded happily. "Then that's what I wish for Christmas is a new sissy or brother."

Severus tousled his son's hair. "We'll see. Good night, little Prince." Julian fell asleep, and a tear leaked from Severus's eye. He never thought he could love like this, or to be a father. His son clearly had the Prince, hair, and eyes, but his insatiable curiosity and face shape was all Hermione. He gently smoothed a lock of black hair from Julian's cheek. He swore that the violence of his Grandfather would never touch any of his children, and that he would protect them fiercely, because he was finally able to love completely.

Draco softly knocked on the door frame. Severus rose, and whispered, "Is he not beautiful?"

Draco smiled, nodding his head. "Yeah, he is. I will reinforce the wards. You go upstairs and be with Hermione. She needs you."

Severus did just that, and he warded the bedroom heavily before getting ready for bed. Once he was ready for bed, he slipped under the covers, and pressed a kiss to Hermione's lips. She stirred and woke.

"He k-killed her, Severus," His wife wept. "Our baby girl. Why? Why would he do that? She was just a child!"

Severus wiped away her tears with his thumb. "In his eyes, it was a simple act of revenge. But it was also a deatheater tactic, and one he was well known for."

"Oh, gods."

"But he's dead now, I made sure of that," He said calmly, but firmly. In reality, he was enraged that Lucius would go so far as to try to kill his twins as revenge for being divorced. "Sleep now, my lioness. I will not leave your side, you are safe with me."

"I know, my Prince," Hermione murmured. "I know. I have always been safe with you. I love you."

"I love you too."

Hermione drifted off to sleep, and he had to use occlumency to calm her down enough to sleep. Finally, he went to sleep himself, holding his witch protectively in his arms all night long...


	31. Paying Respects

Hermione

Two Weeks Later...

She watched as the little white coffin that contained the remains of my daughter Jean Malfoy, lowered into the mud soaked Earth. She had no tears, no feelings for what was happening, just...numbness. This had to be a dream, right? Jean could not possibly be dead by her own father's hands; that would be twisted even by a deatheater's standards.

Severus held a black umbrella in his right hand, while holding my hand with the other. She would be lost and without the strength to face this day, were it not for her husband. Her true husband. She should have just refused to be with Lucius, and stuck to my gut feelings about him. But she let her emotions rule that decision to be in a relationship with two men at the same time. No, she should have just stuck to her guns and was exclusive to Severus.

Julian and Leo were being watched over by Draco, and Julian was sad, but not crying. Draco shed more tears over his father than the two boys, although Leo was crying. The priest finished his prayers and asked if anyone wanted to say a few words before Jean was committed to the ground.

Draco gave orders to the nannies to keep the boys in line as he stepped forward.

Draco cleared his throat. "I knew my sister only very briefly, but even I could see that she was nothing short of an angel sent to Earth. She lit up each room she entered, and was the light of my Stepmother's life. I remember when she told me that she was expecting twins, and she teased that her belly was already doing flips and twists. I said that they were already playing Quidditch inside her, and we shared a laugh over that."

Draco teared up, and wiped at his tears bitterly. "My father was a haunted man after my mother Narcissa was killed by the Dark Lord. He found such love with my Stepmother that it makes no sense as to why he would turn to such a bitter revenge for the loss of his marriage. But life goes on, and I intend to live my best life starting now. Thank you."

"Do you wish to speak, lioness?" Severus asked me after Draco returned to the crowd.

She simply shook her head. Severus shook his head, and the priest took that as a sign to conclude the funeral. Everyone tossed roses on Jean's casket, and Hermione was glad that Lucius was not to be buried next to their daughter. He had wanted to be buried next to Narcissa, and she honored that wish a week ago.

She could barely eat the sumptuous funeral feast placed before me, but she ate to have something to do. When the guests cleared out of the mansion, she found Draco alone by the marble monument that marked his parent's graves.

She hugged him from behind, and he broke down into sobs as she held him like a child that just scraped his knee in the backyard.

"It makes no sense why dad would kill Jean, Hermione," He croaked. "He loved her, I saw it in his eyes. He loved _you_. It just makes no sense."

She sighed. "No, it doesn't. But it's over and done. I just hope that wherever he is that he is at peace with your mother. Besides, Jean wouldn't want us crying over her. She was a tough little girl, remember?"

Draco cracked a smile. "Yeah, she was. A true Malfoy. I'm just so sorry for your loss. I know that you always wanted a girl."

She nodded. "Yes, but there is a chance I will have another girl the next time I get pregnant. I already want to try."

Draco looked visibly stunned. "But...so soon after...all of this?"

"Oh, not right away, but soon," Hermiine interjected. "Jean would tell me to turn that frownie upside down."

Draco chuckled, and then said seriously, "Hermione? If my godfather and you weren't...you know, together. If we had been allowed to be together...Do you think we would have lasted?"

She sat beside him on the white marble bench. "But I am with Severus."

"Say that you weren't then."  
She thought of his bullying ways, and snobby attitude in school. It wasn't until the end of the war that he got his shit together upstairs.

She shook my head. "Not in school, no," I finally replied. "But now? As mature as you are? Then I think we could last, yes."

Draco began to cry afresh, his eyes bloodshot. "I think so too. I just...I fucking _love_ you, Hermione. I think I always will. But you love my Uncle, and that's that. It's okay, cause' I love your kids, they're great. But I will always be in love with you. I'm sorry for saying that."

She kissed his forehead, and he briefly kissed her on the lips before standing and leaving her alone in the Malfoy mausoleum.

She gathered up Jean's toys and belongings, and burned them in the foyer fireplace. She knew that she shouldn't have done it, but she wanted nothing to do with having her little girl's ghost haunt her the rest of her life. She wanted more children, and to fill this place up with love and laughter again. She felt sad for Draco, but she was not going to condemn or judge him for having feelings for her. She could never return his love, but she knew that he would be a good Uncle to her children with Severus, and that was all that mattered to her.

She took a bath, and curled up in bed. Severus joined her after being in the lab all day, and said nothing as he spooned me from behind. She soon fell asleep, and soon had dreams about Malfoy Manor being filled with my family, exorcising all of the darkness from this home once and for all. _May the powers that be guide and protect you Lucius and Jean. Please keep them safe wherever they are, always..._


	32. Platform 9 3/4

Hermione

Five Years Later...

Julian and Leo ran past her as she neared the train platform to 9 3/4. Severus had to be on hand as Headmaster to give his welcoming speech to the new arrivals for the new school term. She could not move as fast as she would have liked, because of her eighth month belly trying to poke its way out of her witch's robes. After Jean and Lucius's deaths, Severus and she shelved any further plans to have more children. But during Christmas of last year, she found out that she was going to have another baby. Two boys, as a matter of fact. Like her other two pregnancies, she didn't want to be surprised as to the gender of her baby, so as soon as she was able, she contacted her muggle doctor, and had the ultrasound done. Why she was having another set of twins, she had no idea, but she was certainly not about to complain. 

Apparition was impossible in her condition so they traveled the muggle way, but being that Lucius left me a great deal of money, we could afford a limo. She walked, (well, waddled would be the more correct term), to the platform, and Julian ran back to help her out. 

"Mum, do you think I will be sorted into Slytherin like dad and Uncle Draco were?" He asked, worrying his bottom lip. 

Hermione hugged her eldest son, and said, "Would you like to be?"

"Yeah, I think it would be cool!"

She smiled. "Well, then I'm sure you will be. But just know that your father and I won't love you any less if you get sorted into another House."

"Guys, come on!" Leo practically whined. "Gosh, it's like Hallmark card central around here."

Julian and her exchanged a laugh at that. Julian stuck out his tongue, chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're coming. Keep your knickers on."

"I'll show you knickers," Leo laughed, flipping him off. 

"That's enough, boys!" Hermione said sternly, breaking up the argument. "Go on, Julian, we're right behind you."

Julian nodded, and took his train trolley and jogged to the platform portal where he disappeared. Her ten year old son and her held hands as they walked through the portal, and came out to the busy, bustling train platform where families from all over England were saying farewell to their children for the start of term.

Draco caught up to them, along with his new wife Daphne. She was almost as pregnant as she was, and they hugged each other. She then hugged Draco, and he kissed her cheek. 

"You're looking well," He greeted happily. "How's the little ones?"

She patted her big belly, and felt her sons move inside. "They're fine. How are you, Daphne?"

She nodded. "Our little one is well. I'm having a girl, which will be spoiled rotten when she comes out."

"Uh oh," Hermione teased. "Next thing you know, she will have suitors beating down the door trying to date her."

Draco declared, "Gods, I hope not. My little Princess isn't dating until university, I swear."

She laughed along with his wife. Her sons noticed them talking, and they ran to greet their Uncle. 

"Draco!" Leo shouted, hugging his big half brother tight. "Mom says it's cool that both of us get into Slytherin. You think I will?"

Draco shrugged. "It's highly likely, since you're a Malfoy. But I'm not like dad and demand you're a Slytherin or else, being in Gryffindor can't be all that bad. Look at your mom, for instance."

Leo did and pouted. "I wish I could go this year."

She hugged her son briefly, kissing his cheek, and leaving a lipstick stain there. "Well, you will next year. And I'll be right there at the teachers table cheering you on, no matter where the sorting hat places you. You got that?"

Leo hugged her close, and teared up. "I love you, mum."

"I love you too, son."

The intercom announced that the Hogwarts express would be leaving soon. Julian gave her a hug, and got on to the train. Leo looked envious, because he wished that he were going along, but he would get to go to school next year. Daphne sighed in resignation as she let me and Draco say goodbye, and when she was gone he gave her a nice kiss with a little heat behind it. 

She pushed him away, tearing up. "We can't, Draco. I love my husband. You know that."

"I know. But I love you, Hermione. I always will."

"Love your wife!" Hermione snapped. "Stop looking for dead men's shoes. I told you that I will never get caught up in a love triangle again. Look what happened! Your father killed our daughter! He damned near killed Leo, and raped me, all because he couldn't stand losing me. No, Draco, as much as I care for you, I can't give you what you want."

Draco smiled knowingly. "We'll see, won't we, sweetheart? I think with time, we will come together, and it will be magical."

"Well, we'll see, won't we?"  
"We sure will."

Draco left the platform with his wife, and Leo, and she had to board the train in the teacher's compartment, which was far more luxurious than the student cabins by far. She boarded the train, and she greeted Neville, Luna, and Seamus. 

When the train got underway, she retired to her personal cabin and slept almost the whole journey there. When they got to Hogsmeade station, she took a thestral drawn carriage on my own. She took over as Minerva McGonagall, and so had to be on hand to greet the students. 

"Greetings, and welcome to Hogwarts," She greeted warmly. "I am Professor Snape, your Transfiguration teacher, and deputy Headmistress. Through these doors," She gestured to the huge golden doors to the Great Hall behind me. 

"Is the Great Hall, where the rest of your classmates are waiting for you. Now, tonight you will be sorted into one of four school Houses. They are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. You will be under strict rules whilst attending this school. Any rewards that you achieve will add House points to your House, as marked by the vials in the Great Hall that measure each Houses success over the course of the school year. However, any rule breaking will lose you points. The House that has the most points by the end of the school term will receive the House cup, and so will add honor and prestige to their school House as a result. Any questions?"

The first years, of course, had very few questions since she covered pretty much everything in my opening speech, but she answered some of them politely. The golden doors opened up, and as she led the group of first years up the center aisle, she caught a brief feeling of what it was like to see all of this for the first time in their young faces. She had been filled with awe upon finally seeing the wonderous castle, the changing staircases, and moving portraits. She had read about it, of course in Hogwarts: A History, but seeing the castle was another thing altogether. 

Ancient Mr. Filch brought out the rickety stool that had the patched brown leather hat on it. He lumbered off, and she caught a gleam of pride in Severus's eyes as she made her way to the front with the name scroll in her hands. He winked subtly, and she winked back. 

She unrolled the scroll, and announced, "Now, when I call your name, you will come up to the stool, sit on it, and I will place the sorting hat on your head. You will then be sorted into your respective Houses, and sit at one of the four tables in the Hall."

She called out ten names before she got to her son, Julian. He walked up, looked first to her, then his father, and sat down on the stool. She placed the sorting hat on her son's head, and the hat debated between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but in the end, my son was placed in Slytherin. Hermione cheered along with the Slytherin table. When the last of the names were called, she sat down next to her husband in pride of place. 

He stood, and gave the usual speech of not entering the Forbidden Forest, or being out of your common room after hours. Blah, blah, blah. It sounded foreboding coming from her husband's velvet voice, though, so she listened eagerly. He announced the start of the feast, and the feast appeared on the tables, which of course, fascinated me as a girl, until she found out about house elves, and needing to free them of their enslaved state. 

Hermione dug into her food eagerly, and her husband and her barely said ten words to each other, due to public formalities. But in private? That was another matter entirely. 

They did thei jobs, and when they retired to his quarters in the dungeon, he groaned, "I wish I could show you just how happy I am to have you here."

She kissed him. "I know, but we have to wait, you know that. Besides, why would you want a fat cow like me anyway?"

Severus chuckled. "Maybe because that cow is carrying my twins? I see no other prudent reason."

She laughed, undressing. "Ah. Well, I can't fault your logic on that. I can't wait to see our sons, and look normal again." She yawned. "Sorry, Severus. It seems I'm a bit more tired than I thought."

Severus undressed her to her knickers, and tucked her into bed. "That's alright. Sleep now, lioness. Just having you in my bed at last is enough."

She heard him undress and climb under the covers with her. He turned off the lights, plunging the bedroom in almost total darkness. They both then quickly slept, and it was a peaceful sleep indeed for the two of them, because they were both reunited at last, and that meant more to her than anything else in the world at that moment in time...


	33. A Late Night Surprise

Hermione

One Month Later...

After the students had departed on the Hogwarts Express for the Christmas holiday, she decided to take to her bed more and more. The twins were causing her no end of grief, health wise, and she couldn't wait to hold them in her arms for the first time. Then, late at night as she got up to go to the bathroom to empty her bladder yet again, she felt the tell tale sign that her water had broken.

"Shit," She muttered. She took as many pieces of toilet paper as necessary and cleaned up the mess. _Yep, gotta keep walking, it eases the labor pains somewhat,_ she reminded herself. She waddled over to the bed, and nudged Severus in the side.

"Mmrh?" He groaned.   
"Severus, get up," Hermione pushed again. "Severus!"

His black eyes flew open, and he groaned, "Damn, witch, what the hell?! What could possibly be such an emergency that--"

"My water just broke, the twins are coming!" She almost shouted. "Now, get your ass out of bed!"

That got her husband moving. She spelled on some clothes, and she grabbed her over night bag. Severus spelled on some dark clothes, and he sent out his patronus to Poppy Pomfrey, Hogwart's mediwitch, and she replied wearily, "Get her here quickly, Severus."

"Can you walk?" Severus asked her. Hermione knew that she could, but based on how her lower half was hurting, she didn't want to chance it.

"I could, but I don't want to chance having the twins in some hallway," She said truthfully.

"Okay, I'll carry you."

He picked her up bridal style, and carried her all the way to the medical ward. Madame Pomfrey was a witch spurred on by the seriousness of the moment. She began to shout orders to Severus, which, if Hermione were not being bowled over by frequent contractions, would find very funny. She found herself laid down on a crisp, clean hospital bed, and her legs put into stirrups so that the mediwitch could get in between her legs.

Severus held her hand as Hermione screamed, "I'm never doing this again, I swear!"

Severus chuckled. "Yes, you will, lioness. I'm not going anywhere."

"You...better not...you...got me into this mess...you and Sammy!" She panted heavily, breathing as evenly as she was taught.

She knew that her husband was trying to fight back his laughter, because the mediwitch had no clue of what she was ranting about.

The labor continued on for an hour before Madame Pomfrey said, "Okay, I see the crowning of the head. I need you to push hard, Hermione. Now!"

Hermione screamed, trying to sit up. Severus helped her to a seated position and she bore down on her pelvic muscles. Gods, it hurt! This was her third pregnancy, but man did it hurt. She felt a loosening, and then the sound of a baby screaming as it was born into the world.

She laid back, prepared for the next twin to be born. After fifteen minutes, she felt her contractions hit her again, and she bore down, pushing with all of her last remaining strength. The second twin was born quietly, he did not make a sound.

Madame Pomfrey seemed a bit concerned that this baby was dead, but when she cleared out the child's airway, she said, "He is fine, Madame Snape. Just a quiet child."

She spelled the twins clean of all of the blood and gore, and cut their umbilical cords. Then the mediwitch cleaned Hermione up, and wrapped up both twins in matching blue blankets. Pomfrey handed the quiet one to Severus, and the noisy baby over to Hermione.

"Well, hello, Caleb," Hermione cooed to her fussy son. "Welcome to the world."

Severus looked over his other son, the quiet one, and the baby laughed when Severus tickled his belly. "Jaden it is, then," Severus said, smiling. "I wouldn't dare to presume what your name should be, son."

Severus brought her other son to her, and as soon as he did, Caleb's magic caused Jaden's black hair to crisp slightly. Jaden cried then. Severus rocked his son until he calmed down.

Caleb nursed from Hermione's breast while Severus played with his other son. She could see that he would be more like his father in the same way Julian was. But then again, she didn't expect any less. Caleb was sassy like her, but she also suspected that these two siblings would be trouble, because they clearly did not like one another, that much was clear.

She burped her son, and then her husband handed her other son to her. " _Hi, mom,"_ Jaden said mentally. " _It's nice to finally meet you."_

"Severus, he's a legilimens," Hermione said, shocked. Her husband laid Caleb down in a separate crib, and joined her as she nursed Jaden from her other breast.

"Obviously," Severus said. "I'm not surprised though. I heard that legilimency powers were common on my mother's side of the family. I inherited the gift from her, naturally. I think these two are going to pose some problems. I have never seen a sibling rivalry like this before where they hated each other at birth."

Hermione agreed. "Hopefully, Julian and Leo keep them in line. But I don't understand, why would they hate each other so much like this?"

Severus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, lioness. But it's astonishing how much Prince blood our children have in them."

"Yes, only Leo looks remotely like me, and even Julian has my nose, and coloring," Hermione added. "But these boys, my goodness, they are all you."

"But with none of my grotesque gargoyle features," Severus quipped. "I can only conclude that love has blinded your vision."

Hermione chuckled. "Oh hush, Severus. You're handsome! I don't know where you get this idea that you're ugly or grotesque. What is it going to take make you realize that I don't give a damn what the world thinks. I love you, and that is all that matters."

Severus kissed her chastely. "Then that is all the opinion I need. I love you, too, lioness."

"Always?"  
"Always."

" _Must you two always wax eloquent about your personal feelings?"_ Jaden piped up. Hermione and her husband looked at each other, and laughed.

"Here, let me take him," Severus said. He picked Jaden up, and placed him in a separate crib cooing to him all the while.

Hermione watched her husband interact with both of their twins. Whether her husband wanted to admit it or not, he was a good father. He could be strict and stoic at times, but their other son benefited from the structure, even if Leo struggled with it at times, because he missed his father, Lucius. But these new children, she would make certain that they were loved, even if they couldn't love each other.

When both babies were taken care of for the night, Severus slept beside her in an adjacent hospital bed, and with their fingers laced together, Hermione was finally able to succumb to how exhausted the duel births left her. She had her husband, her children by her side; what more could a witch ask for in this life but that? She did not know, but she slept easily, knowing that the next few weeks would be endless visitors flocking in to see the new arrivals, so she had best rest up in the meantime, for who knew how much sleep she was going to get?


	34. Meet The Twins

Severus

Over the New Year, the visits from the Weasleys, and Malfoy clan was event filled to say the least. The Weasleys seemed to adore Caleb and see Jaden as something of a strange anomaly.

"He's too quiet," Molly Weasley insisted while they were at The Burrow, the Weasley clan commune. "And way too stoic, and hardly ever cries unless people are paying too much attention to his twin. It's just unnatural, Severus. He seems more like an adult wizard in a child's body than a baby."

Severus had said child on his hip, and he made a silly face at his son. Jaden giggled with delight. "He seems normal enough to me," He pointed out. "Julian was not so different at his age."

Julian came downstairs from Fred Weasley's old bedroom and said, "My little brother is just chill, aren't you, kiddo?"

Julian's eyes widened when he heard Jaden's response. "Yeah, well, mum's friends with the lions so tone down the school House hostilities there, brother."

"You mean, he _knows_ about Hogwarts already?" Molly Weasley quipped, amazed.

"Naturally. My brother is a born legilimens like myself," Julian answered. "It's the reason I hardly ever needed to cry for what I wanted as a baby, because they knew what I wanted. But this baby...wow, his mind feels like yours, dad, no lie."

Leo was trying to show Caleb how to ride a toy broom. "Caleb, catch the chocolate. Catch it!"

Caleb did every time. "Awesome! Uncle Ron, I think I'm enrolling my little brother into Quidditch early. If I get into Gryffindor, I'm totally gonna ask mum to enroll him early."

"You'll ask me what?" Hermione asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Leo stammered for a response, but Julian said smoothly, "Lee just wanted to enroll our dear little brother into Quidditch early."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Uh huh. Well, in that case you shall take over diaper duty the next time Caleb needs a change."

"Mum, eww! No way, I'm not the one playing suck up here," Leo whined.

Severus watched all of this with grim amusement as he carried Jaden in his arms. It was true, he did have a very quiet baby, but that suited him just fine. He cleared his throat. "Did I just hear you tell your mother no, Leo?"

Leo looked up at him, ashamed. "No, sir. I'm sorry."

"We shall see, won't we?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Now, do attend to your brother. I do believe he needs to be changed soon," He said. Leo scurried away, and Hermione scooped up Caleb, who fussed, because he didn't like being torn away from his toy broom.

Hermione kissed her fussy baby on the head. "Now, now, son. Shhh..Yep, daddy's right, you are a bit stinky. Well, let's get you cleaned up, shall we? Leo, follow me. Severus, do make sure the Weasley's don't give our boys too many sweets. You know how I am about that."

He kissed his wife briefly, and said to her mentally, " _Are you still up for going to the Manor tonight? I'm not sure how much more of this boisterous Gryffindor ambiance I can take."_

Hermione laughed. "Definitely. I'll see what I can do. Although, I know that Molly is going to send us away with tons of leftovers. She seems to believe that I starve the kids."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, that's her opinion, and not ours. Hurry back soon, I can't wait to have some time for ourselves."

His wife blushed. "Okay, I'll hurry..."

💘-----

Hermione

Leo groaned about how gross it was to clean his brother's dirty diaper, but he knew better than to openly complain. Hermione finished up changing the twin's diapers separately. It was dangerous keeping both brothers on the same changing table, because of this rivalry between them, so she just decided to care for them separately, it was safer that way.

When they were done, she got them ready to go by putting them in dark gray jumpers, and she was just about ready when Molly Weasley stood in the doorway of the makeshift nursery the Weasley's set up for them.

"Hi, Molly," She said politely. "What's up?"

"I just got done telling your husband that I find Jaden strange, and that--"

"He's unnatural, and what not," Hermione cut her off. "Yes, I heard it all. Well, I can tell you that my son is _fine_ , Molly. He is well behaved, and hardly troubles us for a thing during the night. By the way, we will be leaving soon, Draco has been looking forward to seeing his brothers."

Molly put her hands on her wide hips and scolded, "If you'll pardon my saying it, I thought it was sickening how you carried on this whole affair with two wizards. One was your _teacher_ for goodness sakes, and the other a filthy--"

"Slytherin? Pure blood?" Hermione asked sharply. "Yes, Lucius was an asshole, but he did love me in his own way. And Severus? I couldn't ask for a better husband. He is caring, honorable, and a damned good father. So, don't you dare go mounting your Gryffindor high horse, Molly Weasley, and judging my damn life. Now, if you'll excuse us, we will be leaving."

It took a great deal of coaxing on her part to get everyone ready, because Leo loved visiting the Weasleys, and didn't understand exactly why his parents, and brother did not. But then again, she suspected that he would be sorted into Gryffindor when the time came. When they flooed into the main foyer of Malfoy Manor, she already felt glad to be home.

House elves popped in and immediately began to attend to the twins, and Draco looked ashen faced when he greeted them. Both Hermione and Severus could tell that something was wrong, very wrong.

"What's wrong, Draco?" Hermione asked, almost knowing the answer already.

Draco sighed sadly. "Daphne, she...she's dead."

"And the child?" Severus asked, concerned.

"Neither survived."

Hermione hugged Draco. He clinged to her, sobbing like a child. "I'm so sorry, Draco."

Draco let her go, and rubbed at his eyes. His gray eyes were blood shot, and his grief saddened her, greatly. "Yeah. I know. The baby would have been a girl. Diana, she would have been called."

"That sounds lovely, Draco."  
"I'm sorry," Julian said.   
"Me too," Leo chimed in.

Draco smiled. "Thanks, guys. That means a lot. Oh, um, dinner is on the table under a stasis charm if you guys are hungry."

The kids brightened up at the prospect of food. They honestly didn't like the rich, fattening foods the Weasleys put out, and thought it a miracle none of them were severely obese. The adults followed, and no one said much during dinner, because the grief was too new.

When Hermione retired to bed for the night, she sighed in relief as she cuddled up in the soft Egyptian cotton sheets she loved so dearly.

Severus crawled in next to her, and he said, "Well, I guess we have another funeral to plan."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah. It's so sad. Daphne seemed so healthy."

"Yes, I know, love. But we have each other, and our family. What more could anyone ask for?" Severus pointed out.

Hermione turned to face her husband, and she tucked a piece of his hair behind his ear. "You're right. I have all that I want and more."

Severus kissed her. "I love you, witch."

"I love you too, wizard."

They slept then, and the next week was spent planning the funeral for Daphne and Diana. All throughout the funeral, her family was a constant pillar of support for her, and helped her through this very sad time as always. For really, what more could she possibly ask for in this world but a solid support system in the form of her family? The answer was, nothing at all...


	35. Saying Goodbye

Draco

The weather mocked his grief. Unlike when his father died, the heavens decided to mock him by making the weather sunny and mild outside when his wife and daughter were placed inside the Malfoy family mauseloem. Hermione was there, as well as his godfather, and the boys. But he wanted Daphne there, and Diana. But he supposed that his mother would take good care of her wherever the after life happened to be.

Hermione passed him a handkerchief. "Here. I'm sure your mom is taking good care of Diana."

Draco wiped at his eyes. "Thank you, Hermione. That means a lot coming from you."

The priest finished the prayer, and asked if anyone wanted to speak. Draco stood, and walked over to the two coffins. Diana's looked so small and lonely beside Daphne's.

He then looked at the assembly of people before him, and said, "They say that grief is useless, and our loved ones are in a better place, that we are to just move on. But if we remember our loved ones as they were in life, then they are never really gone, now are we? Goodbye, Daphne and Diana."

He sat down, and let everyone else talk about Daphne. He retreated further into his grief, and would not speak for two years. But during that time, he lived as if a ghost in his own mansion...

💘-----

Hermione

Two Years Later...

Malfoy Manor looked ominous as Hermione took down the wards on the black rod iron gates that led up to the Manor itself. She told Severus that she needed to simply check up on Draco. But the truth of the matter was that she felt guilty about leaving him in this place to wallow in his misery while she had her own life to live.

She knocked on the front door, and was shocked to find it unlocked. The mansion felt...sad, immeasurably sad. The house was dusty and had an air of neglect about it. Her heels clicked on the dusty parquet floors as she moved from room to room. Finally, she found Draco in the parlor room, the same room where Bellatrix LeStrange tortured her once upon a time.

She could even hear echoes in her memory of her begging, pleading with Bellatrix to not hurt her as Bellatrix inflicted one crucio after another on her. When that was done, sometimes a deatheater would rape her for Bellatrix's amusement. Sometimes Bellatrix did that job herself, and it was the one thing she never told Ron or Harry, because she didn't feel that it was their business to know about all that happened to her during the war.

"Draco, it's me, it's Hermione," She announced to the room.

Draco was sitting by the fireplace, wearing an emerald robe, and looking haggard indeed. His hair was long and shaggy, and he had a bit of a beard and mustache.

"What do you want Granger?" He asked bitterly. His voice was barely above a whisper, and had the sound of someone who has not spoken for a long time. "Have you come to chide me? Kick me when I'm down? Or did your dear hubby send you here to kick me back into the wizarding world?"

She stepped closer, and cast a cleansing spell before she sat down in the matching wing back chair across from him. Up close, Draco looked haunted, and very trapped in his grief.

"No," She answered carefully. "I came to see if you needed anything. Leo tells me that you've stopped receiving his owls when he writes you letters from school. Did you know that he got sorted into Gryffindor, and that he's the Keeper on the Quidditch team?"

Draco chuckled. "And so, a thousand years of unbroken Slytherins in the Malfoy bloodline has come to an end. How ironic that it should come from my father and not me. I suspect that had Jean lived she would have been either a Ravenclaw or Slytherin."

Hermione agreed. "Yes, but she's gone, and nothing can bring her back, nothing."

Draco sighed. "Listen, Hermione. You might as well go, you will never give me what I want, and I would rather die than live without the one witch I give a damn about."

Normally, Hermione would have left the issue alone, but not this time. "Fine, _Malfoy_! Tell me what you want. I will do anything to help you get out of these doldrums. Listen, I get it, I really, _really_ do. Losing Jean tore a hole straight through my heart, and left me never completely whole.

"But I'm _not_ going to let you sit there in your father's arm chair, and let you waste away in this tomb of a house. You have a godfather who loves you, kids who love their Uncle Draco. Why on Earth would you just give up? Malfoys _never_ give up. Isn't that what your father always taught you?"

Draco looked at her then, really looked at her, and said, "I will live again if you do one thing for me. One teensy tiny thing, and I will never ask it of you again."

Hermione had a bad feeling that she knew exactly what that little thing was. She swallowed down a lump in her throat. "A-And what is that?" She asked.

Draco smiled. "I want to take you to bed. And I want you for one night, just one solitary night, I want you in my bed. In the morning, you may go and I will never trouble you for it again."

Hermione felt her blood run cold. "But Draco, I'm _married_. It would be wrong, and--"

Draco laughed bitterly. "Jesus, Hermione, it's just sex. Just one comfort fuck is all I'm asking for. I know that my godfather has your heart. I just want for one night to have you as mine. After that, you can leave. What do you say?"

"Fine," Hermione decided. "I will do it. But you have got to get cleaned up first."

Draco took out his wand and cast a few cleansing spells. He tucked it back in his robe, and stood up. He held out his hand for her to take, which she did.

He led her upstairs and took her into his bedroom. Hermione waved her wand and everything righted itself to where it was supposed to be, and she noticed the Quidditch trophies on one wall, then some scantily clad witches and muggle women on posters.

Draco noticed her looking at his trophies and said, "I kept my trophies here, because I preferred to have something positive to look at when the Dark Lord was in power. Mom always hated these posters of chicks, but I'm a guy, what are you gonna do?"

Hermione turned to face him. "Okay, I'm so not kissing you with that fuzz on your face." She waved her wand and the facial hair disappeared. "I kind of like the hair, though."

"It's not too long?"  
"No, it's fine."  
"Good, because I'm keeping it."

Draco approached her, and pulled her close to him. Their eyes met, and she tried to pull away from him, but when he crashed his mouth against hers, all resistance melted away, and she found herself kissing him back. Draco carried her to his bed, and laid her down, spelling their clothes away as they proceeded to give each other comfort all night long...


	36. Forbidden Comforts

Hermione

_I should be refusing to do this..._   
_This is wrong..._   
_But I love this..._

All of these thoughts went through Hermione's head as Draco had his head between her legs, kissing along her moist folds, and dipping his tongue into her wet heat whenever possible. She grabbed at the plush pillows behind her as Draco sucked and teased her clit with expert finesse. She felt her lower half spasm with desire, and before she knew it, she was screaming out Draco's name as she had an amazing orgasm.

Draco smirked as he popped his head up. "Damn, you taste good, babe. Are you ready for me?"

She didn't trust herself to speak. All she could do was nod her head. Draco entered her, and she bit into his shoulder as he filled her. She wrapped her legs around him and they began to move as one, kissing passionately all the while.

After a while, Draco's thrusts began to get sloppy as he reached his peak. He kissed her deeply as he filled her with his release, and then collapsed beside her, breathless.

"Thank you," He said after a while. "That was beautiful."

Hermione rolled to the side so she could face him. "This is the only time I'm doing this. I will not jeopardize my marriage for you, Draco Malfoy."

Draco kissed her lightly. "I know, babe. I know. I'm good. This was just what I needed to get a whole new lease on life, I swear."

Somehow, Hermione didn't completely believe Draco, but she went along with it for the sake of peace. She checked her watch. It was seven thirty. She needed to get back home to attend to her kids, and she sure as hell wasn't in the mood to explain why she was later at the Manor than she should be.

She took a quick shower, dried off, and got ready to go. Draco changed back into his robe and met her at the door.

"Well, this is goodbye, I guess," She said awkwardly. "Will we be seeing you at the Prince manor for Christmas?"

Draco smiled, and nodded his head. "Yeah, you bet. I...I _love_ you, Hermione," Draco teared up. His happy facade crumbling. "All I ever wanted was you. I'm just so damn sorry that we were never destined to be together. Thank you, for letting me make love to you at least one time. Just please know that even during school, I never hated you. I was crazy about you."

Draco softly caressed her face, and when he kissed her again, he poured all of his pent up love and passion for her into it. When he pulled away, he said one thing mentally that froze her blood: " _Farewell, my love. I will love you, my lioness, forever."_

He locked the door behind her, and she had no choice but to leave the property. But as she was leaving the property, she felt a knife cut through her heart, and then a dull ache inside of her heart. She didn't know how she knew that Draco had just died, but she just _knew_. She turned on the spot, and disapparated home where she collapsed on her bed and wept all night long for Draco Malfoy, because in the end, she discovered that she did love him a little bit after all...

💘----

Draco

The handsome blonde wizard made sure that Hermione was gone before he went back upstairs. His childhood bedroom smelled of sex and repressed passions let loose for the first and last time.

He took out the sealed suicide letter, and enclosed will, and kissed it before he sent it off to his solicitor's office. Leo would get the lion's share of his inheritance as his half brother. The rest would go to Julian, and the twins, and the rest to Hermione and his godfather. He also added a lofty inheritance if Hermione got pregnant from this little one night stand of theirs. He hoped that to be the case, because at least then there would be another Malfoy besides Leo in the world.

When that was done, he sat in the center of his bed, and pulled out his wand. This was not his first wand, of course, but it has served him well during the war and beyond. He rolled it between his fingers, and placed the tip of it against his heart. Sure, he had a promising career as a healer, and maybe, just maybe, he could have a few affairs. But no, he knew who his heart belonged to, and it was no mystery witch, but Hermione Granger--Malfoy--Snape.

" _Avada Kedavra_ ," He cast with his wand. Green magic burst out of his faithful wand, and it was the last thing his eyes saw in this life. He felt a brief, searing pain in his chest, and then nothing, nothing at all but eternal darkness and death...


	37. Death And Inheritances

Severus

One Month Later

Draco was gone, and Leo was the last of the Malfoy line. Or so he originally thought. Hermione was pregnant, and not by him. Apparently, Draco's last act on Earth was to seek comfort from Hermione, and as a result got her pregnant. But the degree to which Draco planned out his suicide marked him out as a true Slytherin.

Their argument when he found out about this new baby was fierce, and they both said things that they didn't mean. But his biggest trigger was that, in a way, Hermione really deserved a younger, more good looking wizard. His jealousy reared its ugly head, because his wife fucked both Malfoy men. She married the father only to later cheat on Severus to fuck the son in his hour of grief. If she had not previously been into polyamory, he would have been more pissed off than he was that night.

That was, until Draco sent him a personal letter. It said:

_Dear Uncle Severus,_

_If you are reading this, then I am dead and gone. May I rest in peace in whatever awaits us all in the after life. Please know that if I succeed in seeking Hermione for comfort that I did it, because I have always been in love with her. You know how my parents_ _were in my school years. If I defied them to date Hermione then I would have been cast out like Aunt Andromeda, just because she fell in love with a muggle. If she gets pregnant, then I want the child to be a symbol of a love that could_ _never be. But please, Uncle Severus, please do not hate her. She loves you dearly, but I know that she loves me a little too._

 _I am enclosing this possible child's inheritance, along with my will. I want him or her to share in the bounty of the Malfoy wealth. Please take care of him or her, love them as you do your own kids. I am dying because I do truly feel like I have nothing left to offer this world any_ _longer. I gave my heart to your wife, the only witch I ever truly loved. I too love you as the father I never had. I only ask that you treat Hermione like a Queen. Please promise me this._

_I will see you all in the great after life._

_Love,_

_Draco L. Malfoy_

Severus wordlessly handed Draco's letter to Hermione when she asked, and they held each other close as they sobbed in each other's arms.

"Forgive me, my love," Severus said sadly. "When I heard about this child, I overreacted. I will love him or her--"

"Her," Hermione said firmly. "It feels like a girl this time around. I think it will be nice to have a girl for once. We have way too many wizards running around the manor."

Severus kissed her softly. "Girl, then. Yes, I think that would be agreeable."

When they met with the Malfoy solicitors a week after the funeral, a fight almost broke out in the office when the solicitors demanded proof of Hermione's pregnancy. She handed over the documents, and they were satisfied.

"And were you married to Mr. Malfoy?" One of the solicitors asked.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Does it matter if I was, sir?"

"No, Madame Snape, it does not," The other one, a Mr. Gray answered. "Mr. Malfoy did not care, honestly, but according to his will, he required that you were with child upon receiving this extra inheritance. How far along are you?"

"A month. What else did he leave me, personally, Mr. Gray? You mentioned other effects."

A large black box was slid forward, and Severus opened it cautiously. His eyes widened in astonishment. Draco's memories were stored from third year on in pensieve potion vials, all labeled in Draco's neat, cursive handwriting.

Hermione read the enclosed note Draco included: _If you would know the true lay of my heart, please use them, love. If nothing else will prove that I love you, Hermione, this will surely be it. Yours Always, Draco_

Severus felt a stab of irrational jealousy upon reading the note, but he handed it to his wife, because it had been meant for her eyes alone. Hermione wiped at her wet eyes. She put the note back in its box, and shrunk it down magically to put inside her beaded bag.

After many pieces of legal parchments to sign on both of their parts, the solicitors shook their hands, and they went home to Prince manor. They both did not say much to each other. What was the point, really? The last of his cousin's bloodline was dead by his own hand. Hermione was pregnant with the very last child of that line, with Leo being the eldest.

Julian, Caleb, and Jaden, were his children, of course, but it still stung his pride that Hermione felt the need to offer Draco that intimate a comfort in his grief. Would he always feel that way once the child arrived? Gods, he hoped not.

 _No, you need to love this child, and not blame your wife! What's done is done, and Draco is dead. The child is an innocent party in all of this. Besides, you can always have another one,_ Severus reasoned.

He found Hermione in the nursery changing out the twin's diapers, and she looked up from her work, and said, "You look angry with me about this whole thing still."

He hugged her from behind, and kissed her temple. "No, but I am jealous. I know that you loved him. I am a selfish, possessive wizard, love. You know that."

Hermione finished changing Caleb, and laid him down in his crib with his nook in his mouth, because he was teething.

"I know that, Severus," Hermione said quietly, moving to change Jaden's diaper. He gave less of a fuss while doing it, of course. He was a quiet baby like Julian was. When she was done, she took off her medical rubber gloves, and threw them in the trash, along with the filled diapers.

When she was cleaned up, and the twins sleeping peacefully in the nursery, they retired to the parlor. "I fully intend to keep this child, Severus," His wife said firmly. "Draco wanted that, and yes, I did love him. But I wasn't as in love with him as you think. I gave one moment of comfort to him, something that would have hopefully knocked some sense into him, and got him out of his doldrums. I had no idea how suicidal he was."

Severus sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I wasn't suggesting you get rid of the baby, I was only saying that I wish that it was mine."

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her. "I know. But the next one will be, I promise. You have no reason to be jealous, Severus. I love you, _only_ you."

He kissed her chastely. "I know. But I cannot help but think that you deserve a wizard your own age and--"

"I don't," Hermione insisted. "My heart chose you a long time ago. This one night stand proved it to me just how much I love you. Draco and I wouldn't have lasted as a couple."

Severus smiled. "Alright, you win. Do you want to go see these pensieve memories alone, or with me?"

"Alone would be best, I think."  
"Alright. Take your time."  
"Thank you."

Severus nodded, and left Hermione to go to his potions garden to attend to his herbs and other plants. He didn't know what his wife saw in those pensieve memories, but when he returned for dinner, she seemed happier, and more confident about having this child than ever before. Surely, that was a good thing going forward, right? It had to be for everyone's sakes...


	38. A Trip Down Memory Lane

Hermione

She had no idea what to expect when she went to Severus's neatly ordered potions lab in the basement. But what she was certain of was that she had to know just what had been brewing in Draco Malfoy's mind and heart for all the time she has known him. She pulled out the black box with his pensieve memories inside of them from her beaded bag, and set the bag aside on the immaculately clean work table. She then accioed Severus's pensieve, and she opened the box.

"Well, little one. Let's see what your daddy wanted to show mummy," Hermione said aloud. She rubbed her occupied womb, and felt the briefest kick of the life there.

She saw that each pensieve vial was neatly labeled in Draco's simple, but elegant cursive handwriting. The first was labeled 'Year 3, Buckbeak.' She knew what this day was about. This was the day she had to use the timeturner to save Hagrid's pet hippogriff from being executed by the Ministry of Magic for being 'dangerous.' But why the hell was this sad day so important to him?

She poured part of the vial into the pensieve, deciding to save these memories for this new baby later on. She stuck her head in and found herself walking on the grounds of Hogwarts that overcast fall day just before Halloween...

💘----

Draco

_I am walking beside my father's goon squad Goyle and Crabbe. I suppose the school can consider them my friends, but I don't, not really. They mostly serve to keep my ass out of trouble while I'm in school, so good luck with privacy. I know that I feel excited today, because today is the day that overgrown chicken is going to be killed._

_We pick out a good spot overlooking the pumpkin patch near the hovel that Hagrid calls a house. My father was in there once last year, and he said it smells like a dung heap, and couldn't believe that anyone sane would live there. Anyways, I spot Saint Potter and Weasley come this way, led by the mudblood Granger._

_She is spitting mad, and then I tease her, because let's face it, she's kind of cute when she's angry, "Oh, lookie here! Come to see the show with us? You're just in time."_

" _ **You**_ _! You foul, loathsome evil little cockroach," She yells._

_I continue to laugh, and the big galoots beside me laugh at her as well. But then I see that she is serious when she pulls out her wand and points it right in my neck. Why I'm suddenly cowering I don't know. My asshole father has struck me in anger multiple times with his cane to 'discipline me,' over the years, and I never feared him as much as this witch who is a year older than me. I could easily kick her ass. But I was taught never to hit a witch by my mother, and so I do not even try to defend myself._

_No, I just start crying, and I vaguely hear Weasel say, "Hermione, no! He's not worth it!"_

_She puts away her wand, and then when I think she is done with me, she punches me hard in the nose. I hear the cartilage in my nose crunch painfully, and I'm left holding my bloody nose as I rush to the medical ward so that Madame Pomfrey can fix my nose. I get to the medical ward and she fixes my nose quickly, and wipes up the blood. But it is then that I realize the real reason why I feel the need to be such a prick towards this one witch: I_ **_like_ ** _her..._

_💘----_

Draco

Year 4, Yule Ball...

_My date, as if I had any other choice, is the Slut of Slytherin Pansy Parkinson. From the get go, our parents basically ordered us to date. But aside from us losing our virginity to each other last Christmas at the Malfoy ball up in my bedroom, I don't find her appealing whatsoever._

_I must be going absolutely bat shit crazy to be thinking about Granger in any romantic light. But yet when I was putting my dick in Pansy for the first time, I thought of a doe eyed witch with frizzy brunette hair, and impossibly pale skin. Then I committed the ultimate sin in murmuring Granger's first name as I came in the muggle condom strapped on my dick. Pansy shoved me off of her, and slapped me in the face, but it was a love tap compared to Granger's punch to my nose._

_Now, I have to go to this stupid ball with this bitch on my arm. I meet her at her dorm room door, and she greets me wearing this hideous mauve colored dress that looked like a witch from a trailer park would wear. I barely speak ten words to her as we head to the Great Hall. I want to get there as quickly as possible to see if Granger will be there._

_I search for her in the crowd for a long time, and then I see her. She is wearing this gorgeous spaghetti strapped periwinkle blue gown that floats like feathers along the hem of her full ballgown. Her normally frizzy hair has been tamed into a very lovely up do that shows off her graceful swan neck. Her makeup is tastefully done as well, and she wears little jewelry, unlike the painted whore beside me._

_Then I see her date, Viktor Krum, greet her like some medieval wizard Prince, and I instantly seethe with jealousy. How dare he touch her?! I should be up there bowing and kissing her...all over. Pansy yanks on my arm, and I have no choice but to concede defeat...for now. Oh no, she will be mine one day. We are meant to be together._

_I dance with my date until I find a cute Beauxbatons girl that has no date. I suggest we go to the Room of Requirement, and she simpers and giggles a lot. Eww..I don't care, she looks enough like Granger that I can lie to myself that this simpering cow is her for a night. We get it on, and afterwards, the idiot asks if the sex meant something to me._

_I say something smart, and send her ass on her way_. _I go back to the Slytherin common room on my own, and take a long time sleeping, because I cannot get Granger's ethereal beauty out of my head. I jerk off for a bit, and clean myself off afterwards magically. Yep, that is the trick. I then fall asleep like a baby, and dream that I actually had a good time with Hermione Granger on my arm, instead of Pansy Parkinson..._

💘---

Draco

5th Year, Hogsmeade

 _I shouldn't be trailing Granger and Potter like this in this cold ass weather. But I have to know what the Gryffindors are up to. I follow in an invisibility cloak my dad used often while at school himself. They have their meeting in the Hogs Head Tavern, a nasty, seedy place if ever I saw._ _But of course, I'm certain that these DA meetings were all her idea to begin with. I'm confident that Potter and Weaselby don't have the brain capacity to come up with this scheme on their own._

_When Potter talks about his exploits for four years running, I admit begrudgingly, that I like his humbleness in not bragging that he made it out of those situations alive due to his own cleverness. But Granger is brilliant during the meeting, and I fight the urge to want to join this club right then and there. But of course, I can't._

_Being the good Slytherin I am, I go to report to the pink sow all that I know. I become part of her stupid Inquisitorial Squad, but only to leverage her support. Pansy and I are good again, but we're rarely intimate lately. I don't care, let her sleep with our whole House if she likes, I've had my shots from my family healer, thank you very much._

_We catch the club meeting in the Room of Requirement, and I try to be as gentle as I can to Granger while bringing her to Umbridge's office to be interrogated. She tries to crucio her, and I stand by on hand to protect her by fingering my wand in my robes. Umbridge tries to get my godfather to make more veritaserum to interrogate Potter, but I know he won't do it. Harry still tries to enlist his help, but he denies everything._

_I go back to surveliancing the school, and protecting Granger from the shadows. I cannot openly show her loyalty or friendship, because then dad would hate me. I can't have that. So, I suffer in silence as always, and wait patiently for my goal to be finalized..._


	39. A Trip Down Memory Lane Pt. 2

Draco

Year 6, Confession Time, Easter Holiday

_Mom and I take high tea, and I busy myself with eating crumpets and the pastel colored macaroons rather than talk._

_Finally, my mother breaks the silence by saying, "Draco, dear, what's troubling you? I know it is something quite serious."_

_I sip my tea, and set it to the side on the table. "I...I think I'm in love, mum. And it's not with someone you or dad would approve of."_

_My mother looks shocked for a moment, but then she puts her stoic exterior back up. She sighs, and says, "I take it that you do not want this conversation repeated at any point?"_

" _No, mum."_  
 _"What is in it for me?_ "

_I narrow my eyes at her, and say, "Fine, if you want to play your hand early. How about you don't breathe a word of who I love to dad, and I don't tell him you're banging my godfather?"_

_My mother stiffens for a moment, as if I struck her. Then she sighs and says, "Very well. What witch has you so captivated that you resort to blackmailing your own mother?"_

" _Hermione Granger."_

 _My mother looks openly shocked now, and I smirk to keep from laughing. "But she's...she's not pure! Far from pure. And_ _common looking, besides. Why on Earth would you want her, son? You are a good looking boy, Draco. You could have your pick of witches from good bloodlines."_

_How can I explain it to her? I simply say, "The heart wants what the heart wants. Look at you: Uncle Severus is not conventional looking and yet you've been spreading your legs for him for years."_

_My mother tears up then, and she wipes at them, angrily. "Your father would be angry if he found out about the affair, Draco. I do not approve of your choice. But I won't say a word to your father about this. I advise you to do the same, son, with Miss. Granger."_

" _So, I'm supposed to just love her from afar?!" I practically shout. "You know what, never mind. It's useless debating this with you. I will bide my time like a good little Slytherin, and seduce her when the time is right. But mark my words, mum, I will have her one of these days."_

" _I hope you are right son, I really do. You deserve happiness," My mother says sadly..._

💘----

Draco

Year 7, Malfoy Manor

_The snatchers bring in Harry Potter and his friends, although Potter looks like he has been hit with a particularly nasty stinging jinx. Aunt Bellatrix is insane, always has been, but Azkaban has made her worse. I am forced to identify Potter, and I lie that it is not him for Granger's sake. Weasley and Potter mean nothing to me, after all._

_But what gives me nightmares is the hours of various elements of torture my Aunt puts her through day after day, week after week. I'm forced to watch, but I never take part in harming her, and only my mother knows why. If I interfere, I'm dead, I know that_.

 _But when she is placed in the dungeons, I sneak down there to her cell, and give her blankets and a pillow for her head. I heal her cuts and bruises as best as I can. I think that I want to be a healer if I survive this war. If I can muster enough compassion to heal the witch I secretly love, then I can do it for complete strangers_. _Always, before I leave her, I kiss her lips, and go before the other prisoners can ask stupid questions as to why I am there._

_One time, after Luna had been brought in, she noticed me there, and I swore her to secrecy. "Oh, that's not necessary, Draco. I know you love her. I won't tell a soul."_

_"Thanks, Luna," I said, and that was the end of the matter._

_Potter and his friends escape after a month, but I put in Granger's beaded bag some medical potions from my godfather's lab, and hope that she uses them well. I admire her courage, and I wish that I could openly defy tradition and flee with them as they escape with Dobby, our former house elf. Bellatrix throws her knife, just as they disapparate, and of course, I can do nothing to help them on their quest, whatever it is._

_I hope that she is alright, and that her two idiotic friends keep her safe from harm..._

_💘---_

Hermione

She sat back, feeling such sadness as she had never felt before. Draco had truly loved her! With every memory he proved time and time again that she was never far from his thoughts. She stroked her still flat belly. He did accomplish his goal of having her, but it was for one evening. Well, three hours, exactly, as he made tender love to her. He had poured his whole heart into each kiss, lick, and thrust into her.

She knew damned well that they would have eventually fallen apart as a couple, because of their awful past. But she felt an inner resolve take hold of her then and there: she would have this baby, and she would carry it proudly. If Severus had a problem with it, then he could go to hell.

Leo wouldn't have a problem with it having a new half sister-cousin, or brother. No, she would know for sure at her three month check up with her doctor what she was carrying. But she would name a boy Draco II, and Cassiopeia, or Cassie for short, if she was right in her prediction, and did, indeed, carry a girl.

She dried her eyes, and put everything away back to where it should be. She emerged from Severus's potions lab immeasurably happy, because she now knew that this baby's father loved her, and she could be proud to carry on the Malfoy name with that clear knowledge in her head. She would in time share these memories with this child, and hopefully, he or she would love him regardless, as she did.

In bed, Severus commented, "You seem happy knowing what was in those vials."

"I am happy," She asserted, happily. "Draco loved me dearly. He helped me whenever he could during the war, and he even swore Narcissa to secrecy about him knowing about you and her carrying on some affair behind Lucius's back."

Severus sighed. "Yes, Lucius never knew about me and Cissa'. She...I can assure you that we brought temporary comfort to each other during the war. It's why I'm not mad at you for keeping this child."

"So, you didn't love her?"  
"No, never."  
"Good. Because I love you alone."

Severus smiled. "As I do you, my lioness. Always."

"Always," She repeated. They rested then in each other's arms, secure in their love once more...


	40. My Little Starlight

Hermione

Eight Months Later...

The worst ordeal of the birth of Hermione's daughter Cassiopeia Malfoy was over. She was a beautiful baby with white blonde hair and her father's gray eyes. She bonded to her immediately once she began feeding from her breast. The other kids were overjoyed at the new arrival, even Leo, her big half-brother/cousin.

"She looks like my Uncle more than you, mom," Leo commented. "It's sad Uncle Draco isn't here to see his daughter being born."

"Yes, it is," Hermione agreed. "But I think he is here in spirit, and I know that he would have been thrilled to meet her if he could."

Severus walked into the hospital room, and he said, "Boys, could I have a moment with your mother?"

The boys left the room, and just as Hermione was about to kiss her husband, Minerva McGonagall swept into the room.

"Minerva?!" Hermione asked, amazed that her old Head of House would be here at this time.

Severus was about to leave when McGonagall shook her head. "I won't stay long. I just wanted to see the new baby."

Hermione wrapped up her daughter and let the older witch hold her. "She looks very blonde. Is she Draco's?"

"Yes."  
"And the other blonde boy?"  
"His father's."  
"Oh. I...I see."

"Yes, I'm a loose woman, Minerva!" Hermione snapped. "I have slept with both Malfoy men, and had children by them. Did you come here to judge me, or to see my daughter?"

McGonagall sat in the vistor's chair, smoothing out her green tartan robes. "No, it is not for me to judge you, Hermione. But I came to ask whether or not I can be your daughter's godmother."

"Absolutely not," Severus said firmly. "I will _not_ have you fill my daughter's head with your Gryffindor ideals."

"But she's not--"  
"She _is_ ," Severus said silkily. "Hermione is my wife. Cassie may not have my surname, but she is my daughter all the same, just as those boys in the waiting room are my sons. Please leave, Minerva."

"But, I didn't mean--"  
"Please go, Minerva," Hermione said cut her off.

McGonagall left them then, and it wasn't until much later that they found out the reason why she wanted to be Cassie's godmother: because she was dying, and she wanted to be part of Hermione's life. She passed away five years later in her sleep.

But at this moment in time, Hermione and Severus spent some alone time with the new Malfoy heiress, and Hermione kissed her little bundle of joy, and said, "Mother loves you, my little starlight. Always."

"More than me, lioness?" Severus asked, feigning a frown.

Hermione chuckled, so as not to wake her daughter. "No, Severus. Never you, you are my handsome Prince, always."

"No matter what?"  
"No matter what," Hermione agreed.

They shared a tender kiss filled with such promise as to take each other's breath away. Together, along with the family they would share together, they could do anything, survive anything, just the two of them, forever...

The End


	41. Epilogue

Cassiopeia

Eleven Years Later...

The beautiful blonde witch smoothed back her wavy hair, and disembarked from the Hogwarts boat she was on. Besides her big brother Leo, she would be the only Malfoy in this school. Caleb was a firm Gryffindor, and her two oldest brothers Jaden and Julian were Slytherins. She hoped to at least be sorted into Ravenclaw, because she knew that Ravenclaw House loved artsy people. 

Mom was busy carrying for Violet and Harriet, her twin sisters, and so she had to go to the train station in her brother's company. As she went inside the foyer, Professor Sinestra, the astronomy teacher, gave the introductory speech about the rules and such. Cassie rolled her eyes at this, only half paying attention. Her father was the Headmaster, and Head of Slytherin House, so she knew all of this crap already. 

The inside of the Great Hall was stunning, and besides the enchanted ceiling, would have been the throne room in medieval days. Her father sat in pride of place wearing his usual somber robes. Sinestra put the ugly brown leather hat on every student's head. But when her name was called, her father looked at her with interest twinkling in his black eyes. She knew that Severus Snape was not her biological father, of course. She knew that long before her mother told her about Draco Malfoy, her biological father. 

She got her smarts from both of her parents, but aside from her mother's cheek bones and height, she looked exactly like her father. He had been tall, lean, and handsome. Like her eldest brothers he was a proud Slytherin, and had to love her mother in secret for years until her father sought her out for some temporary comfort. Even at eleven, she knew that meant sex. She knew the mechanics of it, but from how it was described, it seemed kinda gross. 

But if her mom was anything to go by in terms of a litmus test, and the way her brother Julian quietly shagged any pretty witch who touched him, sex couldn't be all that bad. Her parents were...vocal at times to say the least; so, it had to at least feel amazing. 

She stepped up to the rickety stool by the teacher's table, and Professor Sinestra placed the sorting hat on her head. "Slytherin!" The hat announced after deliberating for four minutes. 

Her brothers cheered for her, as well as the rest of her new Housemates. She chose to sit next to Julian, the brother she was the closest to. 

"Hey, Jules."  
"Hey, Cass."

"Dad's saluting you," Julian pointed out. She turned around and noticed her father saluting her with his golden chalice. She saluted him back. 

The food appeared before them on the tables, and she ate delicately what she could....

💘---

Severus

He felt a fierce pride knowing that Draco's daughter was sorted into Slytherin House as centuries of Malfoys were over the years. He watched Cassie chat with Julian and Jaden, but she was always closest to his eldest son. 

Another generation at Hogwarts, and sired by many of the previous generation of Hogwarts students. Some of them were sorted into surprising school Houses. Zabini's son was a Ravenclaw, Parkinson's daughter was a Hufflepuff, for example. But Leo and Caleb were the only two children of his brood that were Gryffindors. Severus counted his blessings there.

Hermione had Violet and Harriet put to bed in his chambers by the time he arrived. She was reading in bed to fall asleep properly, he knew. 

"So, what House did my little starlight get sorted into?" Hermione asked.

"Slytherin."  
"Ah. Of course, a Malfoy to the bone, as I knew from the start."

"How are the twins?"  
"Very well."

"That's good. Thank you for bringing them for me to see," He said. "I'm sorry that I don't see them as often as I should."

"It's alright. You have a tough job," Hermione reasoned. "I'm tired from teaching all day too. Let's go to sleep."

And so, they did, long and deep with no troubling nightmares. They later went on to have four more children, two boys and two girls. Fourteen grandchildren between them, ten great-grandchildren. Severus passed away first, and Hermione a year later. Their entire family wept and mourned the death of this dynamic, soul bound couple that lived the rest of their lives just as deeply in love as a young married couple all of their lives...

The End


End file.
